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When the young midfielder made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

This prediction proved to be something of an understatement.

Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has earned his first call-up to the senior Three Lions squad.

His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern game.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, never mind featuring in the top division and representing the national team too,” Scott said in a recent interview.

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

So how did Alex Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up here?

Developing in non-league

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

He was part of over four years in the Saints’ academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early each Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries were willing to offer Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he opted to remain on the island and play for his hometown club.

“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he explained.

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at the weekend because I had missed nearly four and a half years of doing that. To have that slice of youth again was something I really needed.

“Building some confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that led me to this point.”

When he was just 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at the opposition.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because he’s that good,” manager Tony Vance stated back then.

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

Returning to the professional game

Second-tier club Bristol City – chaired by islander their owner – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.

“Midweek I featured for Guernsey FC 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 contract.”

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

He made eighty-three league appearances for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and sometimes in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

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

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I think he’ll play for his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked last year.

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

Securing his major transfer

Scott endured a challenging first season with the Cherries, waiting until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.

His following season was equally affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.

“I had quite a good run at the close of the previous campaign, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.

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

But he was then called up by England for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in get himself fit in time.

He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the competition in the host nation, forming a formidable partnership in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has excelled for the senior side under the national coach.

And he has begun this season just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to the top five in the standings.

“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” Scott stated earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for football, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the England manager and get my chance.”