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When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

This statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the senior England team.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely seen in the modern era.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott said previously.

“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”

But how did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?

Learning in non-league

His football journey has not been a typical one.

He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.

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

“I just wanted to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was something I really needed.

“To gain a bit of confidence by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”

At the age of 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at the opposition.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.

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

Returning to the professional game

Championship side Bristol City – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.

“The whole experience was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I joined the youth team, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.

“On the Wednesday I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a deal.”

Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.

Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.

Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.

Within 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his big move

The midfielder experienced a difficult first season with the club, having to wait until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the team.

His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.

“There was a decent run at the end of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.

“It was almost another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”

But he was then selected by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.

He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, developing a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to guide them to the top five in the standings.

“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” Scott said recently.

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”