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When Alex Scott made his local team debut against Phoenix Sports before a mere 55 fans in 2019, his coach at the time predicted, “there’s more to come from this youngster.”

That statement proved to be something of an understatement.

Now aged 22 and a Premier League regular with the Cherries, the playmaker has just received his first summons to the full England squad.

His rise from non-league prodigy to possible England player is a proper blast from the past, a journey seldom told in the modern era.

Next stop? A major tournament?

“Back then, there was zero possibility of becoming a professional football player, never mind playing in the top division and representing England too,” Scott stated previously.

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

But in what way did Scott, known affectionately as the ‘Grealish from Guernsey’, find himself here?

Developing in the lower tiers

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

He spent over four years in the Saints’ youth system from the age of eight, leaving school early every Friday to travel by air from his home on the Channel Island to the mainland so he could attend training and feature for the Saints’ youth teams.

Before his 13th birthday, though, they decided to let him go. Bournemouth gave Scott an option and he remained with them for a while, but, as he later admitted, his mind was not in it.

Instead, he opted to remain on the island and turn out for his hometown club.

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

“I just wanted to relax at my home with my mates at weekends because I had missed nearly four and a half years of that experience. To have that slice of youth again was something I really required.

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

At the age of 16, the teenager 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,” manager the coach stated at the time.

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

Returning to the professional game

Second-tier club Bristol City – owned by islander Steve Lansdown – had been monitoring Scott’s early progress after an promising beginning in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.

“It was hectic,” said the player. “Day one I trained with the youth team, the next day I trained with the first team, which was a total surprise.

“On the Wednesday I featured for his local side in the capital, travelled back and on the Friday, I took the field for the youth team and scored a three goals. It was almost a done deal for me to put pen to paper on a contract.”

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

He made 83 league appearances for the club while still a teenager, frequently being deployed as a wide defender – and occasionally in attack as a attacking midfielder – demonstrating his adaptability and versatility. Despite his youth and playing out of position he was their best player.

With his ability to carry the ball forward, and with his socks rolled down to his ankles, he earned the nickname ‘Guernsey’s Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and national team playmaker Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he claimed the EFL Championship’s best young player honour, was selected in the league’s team of the year and was named the club’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt, I believe he will represent his country and I think he will progress to the top of the game,” his former manager, Scott’s boss at Ashton Gate, remarked previously.

Within 90 days later, he joined the Cherries for a understood transfer fee of £25m.

Securing his major transfer

Scott experienced a challenging debut campaign with the club, waiting until October to earn his Premier League debut after a knee injury in the summer, and then being inconsistent of the starting XI.

His second campaign was just as affected, this time by a surgery which ruled him out for almost four months.

“I had a decent run at the close of last season, which was nice to have, then I fractured my jaw,” said he.

“That felt like yet another setback and it was turning out to be a pretty bad start for the first five months.”

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

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

And he has begun the current campaign just as strongly for his club, playing in every game to help them to fifth in the table.

“To play for the national team would be one of the proudest occasions of my life,” the player said earlier this season.

“The responsibility is mine, I’ve got to keep progressing as a footballer, maintain my love for football, getting better every day, and with luck I catch the eye of the England manager and get my chance.”