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Back when the young midfielder stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

That statement proved to be a bit of an understatement.

Now 22 years old and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full England team.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to potential international star is a true throwback, a story seldom seen in the modern game.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and playing for England as well,” Scott stated in a recent interview.

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

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

Developing in non-league

His path in football has been far from a typical one.

He was part of four and a half years in Southampton’s youth system starting at eight, skipping school each Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could train and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. Bournemouth gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he opted to stay on the island and play for his local team.

“I wasn’t playing very well and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he explained.

“All I desired to chill at home with my friends at the weekend because I had missed nearly several years of that experience. To have that slice of youth back was something I really needed.

“To gain a bit of confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was massive for me. That proved to be probably the most crucial things that led me to this point.”

At the age of 16, the teenager made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league fixture at the opposition.

“I’ve been having sleepless nights because I was figuring out how I could get him in the team because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance stated at the time.

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

Making a comeback to the professional game

Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning 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 was with the first team, which was a total shock.

“Midweek I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. From that point a certainty for me to sign a contract.”

Within 18 months, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against Luton.

Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while in his teens, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

With his skill to drive the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was voted the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the game,” his former manager, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked last year.

Within three months later, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his big move

The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the Cherries, having to wait until October to make his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the starting XI.

His second campaign was just as disrupted, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for almost several months.

“I had quite a good run at the end of last season, which was good to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.

“It was yet another setback and it was shaping up as a pretty bad year for the first half.”

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

He started five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, developing a strong understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has started the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to help 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 must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and earn an opportunity.”