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When the young midfielder made his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 spectators in 2019, his manager at the time assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this boy.”

This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.

Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden summons to the senior Three Lions team.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.

What’s next? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England too,” Scott stated previously.

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

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

Developing in the lower tiers

His football journey has been far from a typical one.

He was part of over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his island home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could train and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an opportunity and he remained with them for a while, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.

Rather, he chose to remain on Guernsey and turn out for his local team.

“My form had dipped and flying over every week was starting to feel overwhelming,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed almost several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I really required.

“To gain some self-belief by returning and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”

At the age of 16, Scott became the youngest player in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their league match at Phoenix Sports.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was trying to work out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss Tony Vance stated back then.

“People have witnessed that – his retention of the ball is outstanding, the manner he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”

Returning to the professional game

Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an promising start in adult football and arranged a trial in late 2019.

“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. From that point a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

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

Scott made 83 league outings for the Robins while in his teens, often being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating 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 up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

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

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

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

Securing his big move

Scott experienced a challenging first season with the club, waiting until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.

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

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

“It was almost another obstacle and it was shaping up as a pretty bad start for the first half.”

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 claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong understanding in the middle with Elliot Anderson, 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 fifth in the standings.

“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player stated recently.

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”