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Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

That prediction proved to be a bit of an understatement.

Today aged 22 and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the playmaker has just received his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a true blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player said in a recent interview.

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

So how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?

Developing in non-league

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

He spent four and a half years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before he turned 13, though, they released him. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he chose to stay on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.

“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to chill at my home with my friends at the weekend because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was a thing I definitely needed.

“To gain some confidence by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.

“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could get him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss the coach stated back then.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a trial in late 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled the player. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.

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

Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus the Hatters.

He made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his skill to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.

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

“No doubt, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked last year.

Less than 90 days later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his major transfer

Scott experienced a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.

His following season was just as affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for almost four months.

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

“That felt like almost another obstacle and it was turning out to be a pretty bad year for the first five months.”

But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.

He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started the current campaign equally as impressively for his club, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the standings.

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

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I impress the national coach and earn an opportunity.”