Alex Scott: Who is Bournemouth & England star?

Championship side Bristol City – owned by Guernsey resident Steve Lansdown – had been tracking Scott’s early progress after an impressive start in adult football and gave him a trial in December 2019.

“It was chaos,” said Scott. “The first day I trained with the under-18s, the second day I trained with the first team, which was a complete shock.

“On the Wednesday I played for Guernsey FC in London, travelled back and on the Friday, I played for Bristol City Under-18s and scored a hat-trick. It was almost a done deal for me to sign a contract.”

Within 18 months, still some way short of his 18th birthday, he was making his senior debut against Luton.

Scott went on to make 83 league appearances for the Robins while still a teenager, often being used as a wing-back – and sometimes further forward as a number 10 – such was his adaptability and versatility. Even at that young age 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 picked up the nickname ‘the Guernsey Grealish’, a nod to Manchester City and England attacking midfielder Jack Grealish.

At the end of the 2022-23 campaign he won the EFL Championship’s young player of the season, was selected in the division’s team of the year and was named Bristol City’s player and young player of the Year.

“No doubt about that, I think he’ll play for England and I think he’ll go on to the top of the game,” Nigel Pearson, Scott’s manager at Ashton Gate, told BBC Radio Bristol in May 2023.

Less than three months later, he joined Bournemouth for a reported fee of £25m.