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When Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.

Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player said previously.

“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my family.”

But how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?

Learning in non-league

Scott’s path in football has not been a conventional one.

He was part of four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to he turned 13, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.

“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.

“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”

When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.

“People have witnessed that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”

Returning to the professional game

Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive beginning in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.

“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against the Hatters.

He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being used as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.

Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.

Less than three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.

Securing his big move

Scott endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.

His following season was just as disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly several months.

“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.

“That felt like almost another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”

But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the first team under the national coach.

And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to help them to fifth in the table.

“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” the player stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”