Thomas Tuchel said this week that Alex Scott is competing for Declan Rice’s spot with England, but the Arsenal-linked Bournemouth midfielder has now been ruled out with a long-term injury.
Declan Rice missed the September-October international break due to injury, handing an England opportunity to Bournemouth’s Alex Scott in his place.
Thomas Tuchel appeared to be impressed with what he saw from Scott, saying after England’s win over Croatia: “Of course (he’s fighting for Rice’s spot), and he does, we need performances like this.
“This is just the nature of it and we will not survive on two central midfielders. The more the better and it’s always about the guys who are in camp.
“Declan knows about his importance and he’s one of the very best midfielders in Europe. Nothing will change that. But it’s exactly what we need. We need more, more, more, more variety.”
Yet Scott’s chances of claiming Rice’s starting spot in the Arsenal midfielder’s absence have now taken a major setback, with the Bournemouth player pulling out of the England camp due to injury.
David Ornstein reports for The Athletic that whilst assessments are ongoing, it is suspected the quad injury could keep Scott out for around two months.
That would almost certainly see him missing the next international break, in addition to obviously missing Tuesday’s game against Czechia and many Bournemouth games in between.
Arsenal have been repeatedly linked with a potential transfer move for Scott throughout 2026, including over the last few weeks.
Sami Mokbel and Nizaar Kinsella reported for the BBC that whilst Bournemouth are not willing to entertain offers for Scott in January, the player ultimately wants to join one of the country’s top clubs, and Arsenal remain in the race to sign him.
Chelsea and Liverpool are also interested, but whilst Manchester City and Manchester United were after Scott in the past, they’ve dropped out of the race now.
The player’s injury is set to run down two more months on his Bournemouth contract, with his deal to expire in 2028. The south-coast club have been trying to extend that contract, but the team have made an underwhelming start to the season, and this injury isn’t likely to help.
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