Alex Scott withdraws from England squad and faces six-to-eight week lay-off
Alex Scott has withdrawn from England's squad for Tuesday's match against the Czech Republic at Wembley and is set to be sidelined for six to eight weeks with a quadriceps problem.
The 23-year-old Bournemouth midfielder won his second England cap in Saturday's 7-0 Nations League victory over Croatia and was handed a first start in the match. He reported feeling the issue before the game but remained on the field for 70 minutes, operating in central midfield alongside Elliot Anderson before being substituted. Scott made his England debut in a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in Prague on Tuesday, four days before his full debut against Croatia.
England coach Thomas Tuchel praised Scott after the Croatia match, saying: "First start and what a start, what a performance," and adding: "He is so smooth on the ball, his decision making is at the highest level. "He plays with so much confidence. He is so active, so confident. The work rate off the ball. "He is just the complete package. He gave us a lot of mobility and a lot of variety and work rate in the centre of the pitch."
Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa has also been ruled out of the fixture at Wembley as a precautionary measure, with the 28-year-old to return to the Premier League champions for treatment on an injury. The England squad will therefore be without both Scott and Konsa for Tuesday's game.
Scott joins Bournemouth team-mate Eli Junior Kroupi on the club's injury list; the 20-year-old remains unavailable after sustaining a foot problem in pre-season. Bournemouth boss Marco Rose faces a congested schedule while dealing with those absences.
Bournemouth are due to play nine games between 10 October and 8 November, with midweek matches on four consecutive weeks as they face Sturm Graz, AC Milan and Sparta Prague in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup alongside their Premier League fixtures. The Cherries recently defeated Lincoln to progress in the EFL Cup and won 2-1 at Real Sociedad on their European debut.
Bournemouth sit 17th in the Premier League and are winless after five matches, drawing three and losing two. They return to Premier League action at Chelsea on Saturday (15:00 BST) and have fixtures against Sunderland, Manchester United, Leeds and Ipswich before the November international break.
Scott targets Euro 2028 place with England. He will therefore miss England's match against the Czech Republic on Tuesday while he recovers from the quadriceps issue.