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When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “we haven’t seen the best from this youngster.”

That statement turned out to be a bit of an underestimation.

Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his maiden call-up to the full England squad.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to potential international star is a true blast from the past, a story rarely told in the modern era.

Next stop? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, let alone playing in the Premier League and representing England too,” the player stated previously.

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

But in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, end up at this level?

Developing in non-league

His football journey has not been a typical one.

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

Prior to he turned 13, though, they released him. The Cherries gave him an option and he remained with them for a time, but, by the player’s own admission, his heart wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his hometown club.

“My form had dipped and traveling weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.

“All I desired to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I had missed almost several years of that experience. To have that little bit of youth back was a thing I really needed.

“To gain some confidence by coming back and taking part in local football was huge for me. That proved to be perhaps one of the most important things that got me where I am today.”

At the age of 16, Scott made history as the most youthful appearance-maker in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League fixture at Phoenix Sports.

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

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

Returning to the pro ranks

Second-tier club the Robins – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring his early progress after an impressive start in men’s football and gave him a try-out in late 2019.

“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I joined the under-18s, the second day I was with the first team, which was a total surprise.

“On the Wednesday I played for his local side in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and netted a three goals. It was almost a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a deal.”

In just a year and a half, even well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his first-team debut against Luton.

He made 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being used as a wing-back – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.

Thanks to his skill 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 playmaker Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was voted Bristol City’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 sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, stated previously.

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

Getting his big move

Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, having to wait until the autumn to earn his Premier League debut after a knee problem in pre-season, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.

His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which sidelined him for nearly four months.

“There was quite a good run at the close of last season, which was good to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.

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

But he was then called up by England for the Under-21 European Championships – and succeeded in regain fitness in time.

He started five of the England U21s’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, forming a formidable partnership in midfield with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side under the national coach.

And he has begun the current campaign equally as strongly for Bournemouth, playing in every game to guide them to the top five in the standings.

“Representing the national team would be one of the proudest moments of my career,” the player said earlier this season.

“It’s down to me, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for the game, getting better every day, and with luck I impress the England manager and earn an opportunity.”