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When Alex Scott stepped onto the pitch for his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before just 55 spectators in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

This prediction proved to be a bit of an underestimation.

Today aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the midfielder has just received his first summons to the senior England squad.

His rise from eighth-tier talent to possible England player is a proper throwback, a journey seldom told in the modern era.

What’s next? The World Cup?

“Back then, there was no chance of making it as a pro footballer, never mind playing in the Premier League and representing the national team too,” Scott stated in a recent interview.

“It has been a incredible five or six years of my life, and things have changed completely for myself and my family.”

But in what way did Alex Scott, known fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself at this level?

Learning in non-league

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

He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup from the age of eight, skipping school every Friday to fly from his island home on Guernsey to the south coast so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.

Prior to he turned 13, however, they released him. Bournemouth were willing to offer him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a time, but, as he later admitted, his heart was not in it.

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

“I wasn’t playing very well and flying over weekly was starting to feel a bit too much,” he explained.

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my friends at weekends because I missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of childhood back was a thing I really required.

“To gain some confidence by coming back and playing island football was huge for me. It was probably the most crucial factors that led me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, Scott became the youngest player in the club’s records when he was introduced as a second-half substitute in their Isthmian League fixture 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 the coach commented back then.

“Everyone’s now seen that – his retention of the ball is exceptional, the way he carries the ball, he’s a class act.”

Making a comeback to the pro ranks

Championship side the Robins – chaired by islander their owner – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.

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

“Midweek I featured 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. From that point a certainty for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”

Within a year and a half, still well before his 18th birthday, he was earning his senior debut versus the Hatters.

He went on to make 83 league outings for the club while in his teens, frequently being deployed as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – demonstrating his versatility and versatility. Even at that young age and playing out of position he was their best player.

Thanks to his skill to carry the ball forward, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the moniker ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England playmaker Grealish.

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

“No doubt, I believe he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the pinnacle of the sport,” his former manager, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

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

Securing his major transfer

Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until the autumn to earn his top-flight debut after a knee problem in the summer, and then finding himself inconsistent of the team.

His following season was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for nearly several months.

“There was quite a good run at the end of the previous campaign, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” explained he.

“That felt like almost another obstacle and the year was shaping up as quite a terrible start for the first half.”

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

He went on to start five of the Young Lions’ six games as they claimed victory in the tournament in the host nation, forming a strong partnership in the middle with Elliot Anderson, who in turn has gone on to impress for the senior side with the national coach.

And he has started this season equally as strongly for Bournemouth, featuring in every game to guide them to the top five in the table.

“To play for the national team would be among the most special moments of my life,” Scott stated recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I must continue developing as a player, keep enjoying football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and earn an opportunity.”