Bournemouth star Alex Scott, 21, is the ‘Guernsey Grealish’ labelled an ‘unbelievable player’ by Pep Guardiola

ALEX SCOTT is simply a Guernsey lad surviving the Premier League dream.

Bournemouth’s 21-year-old midfielder has had a unsocial emergence to the top, having not wanted to play shot and being axed by Prem academies.

Not agelong ago, Scott saw playing arsenic a frustrating distraction from a constricted societal beingness that included nailing scooter tricks astatine a section skate parkland with his friends.

And erstwhile football did get successful the way, the youngster was often near successful tears.

Until, that is, helium moved from non-league Guernsey to Bristol City successful January 2020 aged 16 and the scooter was “put to 1 side”.

Cherries brag Andoni Iraola volition beryllium pleased to perceive that, particularly aft forking retired £25million successful August 2023.

But Scott’s scootering obsession came during a pugnacious clip successful his aboriginal footballing career.

He was fto spell by the Southampton and Bournemouth academies by the property of 14 and forced into an “embarrassing” instrumentality to his Channel Island birthplace.

Scott admitted: “Once you get released, it’s like, wherever bash you spell from here?

“It is embarrassing. Back home, I was the kid that was going to beryllium pro.

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“It’s pugnacious to get backmost into academy shot but I wasn’t playing good and I wasn’t enjoying it. I mislaid the love.

“I ne'er truly had a beingness extracurricular of football. From the property of 8 to 14, I would beryllium astatine schoolhouse past flying implicit each play and playing games successful the UK and past backmost to school.

“When I got location I was more interested successful different hobbies. I was large connected scootering, astatine the skate park.

“It was up of shot for astir a year, 2 years. Even erstwhile I was  playing for Bournemouth astatine 13, I ne'er wanted to go.

“There were times erstwhile my mum and dada would say, ‘Right, you tin instrumentality your scooter’. I would spell to the skate parkland and past play shot connected the Sunday.

“I didn’t privation to archer my dada I wanted to scooter alternatively of football.

"He saw it arsenic a missed accidental due to the fact that helium knew the endowment I had.

“It was hard. The fig of times I would conscionable beryllium successful my country crying, knowing I’d got to alert implicit to play football.”

But past Scott says thing conscionable “clicked” betwixt the ages of 14 and 16.

He added: “I had a fewer years playing shot astatine location successful Guernsey, getting my assurance back, spending clip with my friends. I enjoyed increasing up arsenic a mean kid.

“And past erstwhile I was 16, I got the accidental to spell backmost to England and it was a dormant cert that I would effort the vocation again. It’s been a whirlwind. I ne'er expected immoderate of this to happen.”

Others would disagree, Guernsey manager Tony Vance saw the potential, making him the club’s youngest ever subordinate successful the Isthmian League arsenic a 16-year-old.

Bristol City past took a punt after watching Scott people a hat-trick successful a proceedings lucifer against their Under-17s and Ashton Gate brag Nigel Pearson handed the teen his archetypal Championship commencement successful May 2021.

Following a 3-0 FA Cup decision by Manchester City successful February 2023, Pep Guardiola labelled him an “unbelievable player” and the “Guernsey Grealish” nickname stuck — teeing up Scott’s Prem power to Bournemouth conscionable six months later.

Since then, nevertheless Scott’s mentality has continued to beryllium tested. He was sidelined with a genu wounded for 12 weeks aft signing and missed different 7 weeks with an ligament strain.

The England Under-21 planetary — who idolises Jude Bellingham —  admitted: “That 2nd wounded was the hardest clip I person had successful football.”

Unsurprisingly, though, helium has bounced backmost and travel disconnected the seat successful each 7 of Bournemouth’s Premier League games this term.

He said: “There are times erstwhile I’m not starting and it’s hard, keeping that confidence. But I similar to ticker clips of myself to punctual myself what I tin do.

“I’m ever going to beryllium grounded and humble.”