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When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

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

Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the senior England squad.

His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern game.

What’s next? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a professional football player, let alone featuring in the Premier League and playing for the national team as well,” the player stated in a recent interview.

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

But in what way did Alex Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Developing in non-league

Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.

He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries gave him an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

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

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

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that little bit of youth again was something I really needed.

“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial factors that led me to this point.”

When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their 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 manner he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”

Returning to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

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

“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC 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 certainty for me to sign a deal.”

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

Scott made eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.

Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.

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

“No doubt, I believe he will represent England and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.

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

Securing his big move

The midfielder experienced a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.

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

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

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

But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.

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

And he has begun this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.

“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”