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Back when the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

This prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern era.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing England as well,” the player stated previously.

“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed drastically for me and my loved ones.”

So how did Alex Scott, referred to affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, end up here?

Developing in the lower tiers

His path in football has not been a conventional one.

He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Before he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.

“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.

“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that led me to this point.”

At the age of 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.

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

Returning to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.

“The whole experience was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.

“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”

In just 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.

He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.

Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’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.

“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, remarked previously.

Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.

Securing his big move

The midfielder endured a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being in and out of the starting XI.

His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.

“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.

“That felt like yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first five months.”

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

He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.

“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott stated earlier this season.

“It’s down to me, I must continue developing as a player, maintain my love for the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”