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Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

That prediction proved to be something of an underestimation.

Today 22 years old and an established top-flight player with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full Three Lions squad.

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

Next stop? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” Scott stated previously.

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

But how did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?

Learning in non-league

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

He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.

Instead, he chose to stay on the island and turn out for his local team.

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

“I just wanted to relax at home with my mates at weekends because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was something I definitely required.

“Building a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in island football was huge for me. That proved to be probably 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 second-half replacement in their league match at the opposition.

“I had sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because his talent is obvious,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance commented back then.

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

Returning to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising start in adult football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

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

“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”

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

Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally further forward as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.

With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to City and England playmaker Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named the club’s top player and top youngster.

“Without question, I think he will represent his country and I’m sure he will progress to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of £25m.

Getting his major transfer

The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.

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

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

“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”

But he was then selected by England for the U21 Euros – and managed to regain fitness in time.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six games as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.

And he has started the current campaign just as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.

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

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, getting better day on day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”