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Back when Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time assured, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

That statement turned out to be something of an understatement.

Now 22 years old and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential England player is a true throwback, a story rarely told in the modern game.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of making it as a pro footballer, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.

“It has been a crazy half-dozen years of my life, and things have transformed drastically for myself and my loved ones.”

So how did Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Learning in the lower tiers

Scott’s football journey has not been a typical one.

He spent over four years in the Saints’ academy setup from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on Guernsey to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the club’s academy sides.

Before his 13th birthday, however, they released him. The Cherries gave Scott an option and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Instead, he opted to stay on Guernsey and turn out for his hometown club.

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

“All I desired to chill at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed almost several years of doing that. Getting that little bit of childhood back was a thing I definitely needed.

“Building a bit of confidence by returning and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me to this point.”

When he was just 16, the teenager became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he came on as a 57th-minute substitute in their league match at the opposition.

“I’ve been having trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the side because his talent is obvious,” manager Tony Vance commented back then.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his possession of the ball is outstanding, the way he runs with the ball, he’s a class act.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a trial in December 2019.

“The whole experience was chaos,” recalled Scott. “The first day I joined the youth team, the second day I trained with the senior squad, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a three goals. From that point a done deal for me to sign a deal.”

Within a year and a half, even some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against the Hatters.

Scott made 83 league outings for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was the standout performer.

Thanks to his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he picked up the moniker ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to City and national team attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 season he claimed the second tier’s young player of the season award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at the club, remarked previously.

Less than 90 days after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported fee of 25 million pounds.

Securing his big move

Scott endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee injury in pre-season, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.

His second campaign was equally affected, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for almost several months.

“There was a decent run at the close of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I broke my jaw,” explained Scott.

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

But he was then selected by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and managed to regain fitness in time.

He started five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who himself has gone on to impress for the first team with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, featuring in all matches to guide them to fifth in the standings.

“To play for the England senior team would be one of the proudest occasions of my career,” Scott said recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a player, maintain my love for the game, improving every day, and hopefully I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”