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When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That statement proved to be a bit of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the full Three Lions team.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen 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, never mind featuring in the Premier League and representing the national team as well,” the player said in a recent interview.

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

But how did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?

Developing in non-league

His path in football 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 every Friday to travel by air from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to he turned 13, though, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

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

“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.

“I just wanted to chill at home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood again was something I really needed.

“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.

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

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

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Second-tier club the Robins – chaired by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I was with the first team, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a contract.”

Within a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.

Scott made 83 league outings for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and flexibility. Despite his youth and not in his natural role he was their best player.

Thanks to his ability to drive the ball forward, 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 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“Without question, I believe he’ll play for his country and I think he will progress to the top of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.

Less than 90 days later, he joined Bournemouth for a understood transfer fee of £25m.

Getting his big move

Scott experienced a difficult first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.

His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost four months.

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

“That felt like 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 U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness for the tournament.

He started five of the Young Lions’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.

“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”