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When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

This statement turned out to be something of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the full England squad.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a journey rarely told in the modern game.

What’s next? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott said previously.

“It’s been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”

So in what way did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself here?

Developing in non-league

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

He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and play for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an opportunity and he remained with them for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.

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

“My form had dipped and traveling every week was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of youth again was something I definitely needed.

“Building some self-belief by returning and playing island football was massive for me. That proved to be probably one of the most important things that led me to this point.”

When he was just 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.

“I had sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented at the time.

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

Returning to the professional game

Second-tier club 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 December 2019.

“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete surprise.

“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut versus the Hatters.

Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up 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 second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at the club, stated last year.

Within three months after, he joined the Cherries for a understood fee of £25m.

Getting his major transfer

Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being in and out of the team.

His second campaign was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out 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,” explained he.

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

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 England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who himself has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.

And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the table.

“Representing the England senior team would be among the most special occasions of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and hopefully I impress the England manager and get my chance.”