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When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That prediction turned out to be a bit of an understatement.

Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the senior England team.

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

What’s next? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing England as well,” the player stated previously.

“It has been a crazy five or six years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for me and my family.”

But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Guernsey Grealish’, find himself at this level?

Learning in the lower tiers

His football journey has been far from a typical one.

He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Before he turned 13, 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 mind was not in it.

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

“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he explained.

“All I desired to relax at home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. To have that little bit of childhood again was something I definitely needed.

“Building a bit of self-belief by coming back and playing local football was massive for me. It was perhaps the most crucial factors that got me to this point.”

When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute substitute in their Isthmian League match at Phoenix Sports.

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance commented at the time.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an promising beginning in adult football and arranged a try-out in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” recalled the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.

“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”

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

Scott went on to make eighty-three league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his versatility and flexibility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to City and national team playmaker Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season award, was selected in the division’s best XI and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I think he will represent England and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.

Within three months later, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of £25m.

Securing his big move

Scott experienced a difficult debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.

His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly four months.

“I had a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said Scott.

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

But he was then called up by the national team for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.

He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, developing a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.

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

“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” the player stated recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to continue developing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”