Bournemouth Frustrated by Alex Scott Injury as Tuchel Responds

Thomas Tuchel maintained that England did not take any chances with Alex Scott’s fitness after the midfielder pulled out with a thigh problem, prompting concern from Bournemouth about how the situation was handled.

Scott impressed in Saturday’s 7-0 Nations League victory over Croatia, but he will miss the remainder of the international window. The midfielder could now be sidelined for up to two months after aggravating a muscular issue on his first start for the senior national side.

Bournemouth are frustrated because the 23-year-old continued playing despite experiencing discomfort before the Croatia match. Scott had been considered for another start in Tuesday’s final game of the camp against Czechia, but James Garner replaced him after 70 minutes in Rijeka. He underwent medical examinations on Sunday.

Bournemouth, already missing French forward Eli Junior Kroupi, could now be without another key player during a demanding stretch of the campaign. The club are still searching for their first Premier League victory while also competing in the Europa League. Tuchel, whose squad has also lost Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa to a thigh injury, insisted England followed the correct medical protocols with Scott.

“Alex’s situation is unusual,” the head coach said. “I’m extremely disappointed for him. He completed every training session before the Croatia game and even did additional work afterwards. We knew he was receiving treatment, but both Alex and the medical staff indicated that he was fit to play.

“Once we learned that he was feeling slight discomfort during the match, we asked whether he wanted to leave the pitch, but he said he could continue. Afterwards, he told us he could have completed the full 90 minutes and did not believe he was injured. He still felt that way before the scan, which makes the situation difficult to understand. We took no risks with him. On a personal level, I’m sorry that he will not be able to earn another cap tomorrow.”

When asked whether he was comfortable with the way the matter had been managed, Tuchel replied: “Absolutely. I would never knowingly put a player at risk.”

Scott demonstrated his commitment to representing England by remaining with the squad following the recent death of his grandfather. The former Bristol City midfielder, who continues to attract interest from Chelsea, made his senior debut as a substitute in last week’s victory over Czechia in Prague. His performance earned him a starting role against Croatia, where he renewed the effective midfield partnership he formed with Elliot Anderson during last year’s European Under-21 Championship.

Scott is also expected to miss England’s final two Nations League Group A3 fixtures against Croatia and Spain next month. His absence creates a selection problem for Tuchel after the midfielder emerged as a possible alternative to Declan Rice over the past two weeks. Nevertheless, the England manager rejected the suggestion that Bournemouth had been treated unfairly.

“Our medical and performance teams remain in regular communication with the clubs,” he said. “Information is shared throughout a completely transparent process. However, we cannot contact clubs for approval over every decision because that would make it impossible to run an international camp.”

Tuchel has also criticised Fifa’s decision to lengthen the international window, arguing that the revised schedule places significant physical demands on players because of the travel and training required after the 48-team World Cup. England also lost Manchester City left-back Nico O’Reilly last week, with Rico Lewis called up as his replacement.

Rice and Kobbie Mainoo withdrew at the beginning of the camp, leaving Anderson, Garner and Myles Lewis-Skelly as Tuchel’s available midfield choices for the Czechia match. England sit second in their group and remain in a strong position to reach March’s two-legged quarter-finals. Another major storyline will be Harry Kane drawing level with Peter Shilton’s record of 125 appearances for the England men’s team.

“I’m running out of ways to describe him,” Tuchel said of the England captain. “He is among the leading candidates for the Ballon d’Or. We have discussed his qualities so many times that trying to find different words no longer feels useful.

“He performs every aspect of his role at an exceptional standard. Since accepting such an important position at Bayern Munich, he has raised his game again. His conduct and performances are outstanding both on and off the field.”

Trevoh Chalobah is expected to step in for Konsa, although Tuchel has yet to determine the extent of his squad rotation. He added that Trent Alexander-Arnold could replace Jarell Quansah at right-back.