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Back when Alex Scott made his Guernsey debut versus Phoenix Sports in front of just 55 fans in 2019, his coach back then predicted, “there’s more to come from this boy.”

This statement turned out to be something of an understatement.

Today 22 years old and a Premier League regular with Bournemouth, the midfielder has just received his first call-up to the full Three Lions squad.

His ascent from non-league prodigy to possible international star is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom seen in the modern game.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“In my mind, there was zero possibility of becoming a pro footballer, let alone playing in the top division and playing for England as well,” the player said previously.

“It has been a incredible half-dozen years of my life, and circumstances have transformed completely for me and my loved ones.”

So in what way did Scott, referred to fondly as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Developing in non-league

His path in football has been far from a conventional one.

He spent over four years in Southampton’s academy setup starting at eight, leaving school early every Friday to fly from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and play for the club’s academy sides.

Before he turned 13, however, they released him. The Cherries gave him an opportunity and he was on the Cherries’ books for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind wasn’t fully committed.

Rather, he chose to stay on the island and play for his local team.

“My form had dipped and flying over weekly was becoming overwhelming,” he recalled.

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

“To gain a bit of self-belief by returning and playing local football was massive for me. It was probably one of the most important factors that got me where I am today.”

When he was just 16, Scott made history as the youngest player in the club’s records when he came on as a 57th-minute replacement in their league fixture at Phoenix Sports.

“I had trouble sleeping because I was figuring out how I could include him in the team because he’s that good,” Guernsey boss the coach stated at the time.

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

Making a comeback to the professional game

Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking his development after an impressive start in men’s football and arranged a trial in late 2019.

“It was hectic,” said Scott. “Day one I trained with the under-18s, the next day I was with the senior squad, which was a total surprise.

“Midweek I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”

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

He went on to make 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being used as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a number 10 – demonstrating his adaptability and flexibility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.

With his skill to drive the ball up the pitch, and with his socks down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a reference to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 season he won the second tier’s young player of the season honour, was chosen in the league’s best XI and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“Without question, I believe he will represent his country and I’m sure he’ll go on to the top of the sport,” Nigel Pearson, the player’s boss at Ashton Gate, stated last year.

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

Getting his big move

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

His following season was equally disrupted, this time by a knee operation which ruled him out for nearly four months.

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

“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be quite a terrible year for the first half.”

But he was then selected by the national team for the U21 Euros – and managed to get himself fit for the tournament.

He went on to start five of the England U21s’ six matches as they went on to win the tournament in the host nation, forming a formidable understanding in midfield with his teammate, who himself has excelled for the senior side with Thomas Tuchel.

And he has begun this season just as impressively for his club, featuring in every game to help them to the top five in the table.

“Representing the national team would be among the most special occasions of my life,” the player said recently.

“The responsibility is mine, I must keep progressing as a footballer, keep enjoying the game, getting better day on day, and with luck I catch the eye of the national coach and get my chance.”