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Back when Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports in front of a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager at the time predicted, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

That prediction turned out to be something of an understatement.

Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his maiden call-up to the full England team.

His ascent from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a proper throwback, a story rarely seen in the modern era.

What’s next? A major tournament?

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

“It’s been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have transformed completely for myself and my loved ones.”

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

Developing in non-league

Scott’s path in football has not been a typical one.

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

Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth were willing to offer Scott an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind was not in it.

Rather, he opted to stay on Guernsey and play for his local team.

“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was becoming a bit too much,” he recalled.

“I just wanted to chill at my home with my mates at the weekend because I missed nearly several years of doing that. Getting that slice of youth again was a thing I really needed.

“Building some confidence by returning and taking part in island football was massive for me. That proved to be perhaps the most crucial things that got me where I am today.”

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

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

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

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Second-tier club the Robins – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s development after an promising 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 joined the under-18s, the next day I trained with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.

“Midweek I played for Guernsey FC in London, returned home and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a contract.”

Within 18 months, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his first-team debut versus Luton.

Scott went on to make eighty-three league outings for the Robins while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.

With his ability to carry the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.

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

“No doubt, I think he will represent England and I think he will progress to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at the club, remarked previously.

Within 90 days after, he signed for Bournemouth for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his big move

Scott endured a difficult debut campaign with the Cherries, having to wait until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being in and out of the team.

His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which sidelined him for nearly several months.

“There was a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” said Scott.

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

But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and succeeded in regain fitness for the tournament.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable understanding in the middle with his teammate, who in turn has gone on to impress for the first team under Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun this season equally as impressively for Bournemouth, playing in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.

“To play for the England senior team would be among the most special moments of my career,” Scott said earlier this season.

“It’s down to me, I must keep progressing as a player, keep enjoying the game, improving day on day, and with luck I impress the national coach and get my chance.”