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When the young midfielder made his local team debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his manager back then assured, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

That prediction turned out to be something of an underestimation.

Now aged 22 and an established top-flight player with the Cherries, the playmaker has earned his first summons to the senior Three Lions team.

His rise from non-league prodigy to potential England player is a true blast from the past, a story seldom told in the modern era.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“In my mind, there was no chance of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for the national team too,” the player stated previously.

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

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

Learning in the lower tiers

His football journey has not been a typical one.

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

Prior to his 13th birthday, however, they decided to let him go. The Cherries were willing to offer him 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 chose to remain on Guernsey and play for his hometown club.

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

“All I desired to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. Getting that slice of childhood back was a thing I definitely required.

“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing local football was huge for me. It was perhaps one of the most important factors that led me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, Scott became the most youthful appearance-maker in Guernsey’s history when he was introduced as a 57th-minute replacement in their Isthmian League match at the opposition.

“I had sleepless nights 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 retention of the ball is exceptional, the manner he carries the ball, he’s pure quality.”

Making a comeback to the professional game

Championship side Bristol City – owned by islander their owner – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a try-out in December 2019.

“It was hectic,” said Scott. “The first day I joined the under-18s, the next day I was with the first team, which was a complete surprise.

“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in London, travelled back and by Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and netted a hat-trick. It was almost a certainty for me to sign a deal.”

In just a year and a half, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut against the Hatters.

Scott made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, often being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – such was his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and not in his natural role he was their best player.

Thanks to his ability to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he picked up the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and national team playmaker Jack Grealish.

By the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s best young player award, was chosen in the league’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s top player and top youngster.

“No doubt, I think he will represent his country and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

Less than three months after, he signed for the Cherries for a reported transfer fee of 25 million pounds.

Getting his major transfer

The midfielder endured a difficult first season with the club, waiting until October to make his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself in and out of the starting XI.

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

“I had 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 shaping up as quite a terrible year for the first five months.”

But he was then called up by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit in time.

He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six matches as they claimed victory in the tournament in Slovakia, developing a strong partnership in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun the current campaign just as impressively for his club, featuring in all matches to help them to fifth in the table.

“Representing the national team would be among the most special moments of my career,” the player stated recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying football, improving day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”