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When the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.

Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has earned his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions team.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true throwback, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“In my mind, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated previously.

“It’s been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have changed drastically for me and my loved ones.”

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

Learning in non-league

Scott’s football journey has been far from a typical one.

He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.

“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over every week was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.

“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood again was something I really required.

“To gain some self-belief by returning and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”

At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Returning to the professional game

Championship side Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.

“It was hectic,” recalled Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.

“Midweek I played for his local side in the capital, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”

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

Scott made eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

With his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team attacking midfielder Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s best XI and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, stated last year.

Within three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his big move

The midfielder endured a challenging 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 inconsistent of the team.

His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.

“I had quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” said he.

“It was yet another obstacle and the year was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”

But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to get himself fit in time.

He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.

“Representing the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my life,” Scott said recently.

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”