Alex Scott: Bournemouth midfielder withdraws from England duty and could miss 'several weeks' with tendon injury
Alex Scott has withdrawn from the England squad due to an injury he picked up during the 7-0 win against Croatia; Scott is set to return to Bournemouth for further assessment; initial scans suggest he could be missing for several weeks; Scott impressed in first start against Croatia
Monday 5 October 2026 17:25, UK
Alex Scott has withdrawn from the England squad after picking up a tendon injury in the 7-0 win over Croatia, with Thomas Tuchel adamant there was no suggestion of injury before the midfielder played on Saturday.
Sky Sports News understands Scott is set to return to Bournemouth for further assessment to discover the full extent of the injury.
Initial indications suggest he could be missing for several weeks, although further scans are planned.
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During his pre-Czech Republic press conference, England boss Tuchel revealed more about the injury and how it happened. He said there was no indication that Scott should not play against Croatia.
He explained: "With Alex it's a strange one. I'm very sad about it. He trained in both sessions before the match. He did extra work after the training sessions.
"We knew he was in treatment but we only got green lights from him and the medics. When we were aware of slight discomfort during the match we asked if he wanted to come off. He said no.
"Afterwards he said it was the right decision but he could've played the full 90. He didn't feel an injury. Even on the plane here [to London] before we did the scan. It is a strange one because it does not match the objectivity of the scan and the prediction of the time he is going to miss. There was no awareness of any risk from our side.
"I feel sad for him. We have an exchange all the time and when he went out, even the day after, he didn't feel injured so in my mind, he started tomorrow."
There are media reports that Bournemouth are unhappy that one of their star players has come back from international duty with an injury, and that he should not have played in Rijeka.
"The medical and physical department is in constant contact with all the players who are with us," he said when asked about the club's response. "We are sharing information and this is a totally open process.
"I can totally understand that Bournemouth are not happy and sad because they lose a key player, but I can say from the moment we took the decision to let him play, there was absolutely no risk whatsoever apparent to me or our physical staff that we have risk of an injury.
"I have not taken any risks, even if it was a big opportunity for him and we wanted him to start. If I had the slightest idea there was a risk, I would not have taken it. I would never do this... It's a one-off."
Scott's grandfather died while he was away with England during this international break, but he decided to stay and play in honour of a man he was very close to.
It is understood his grandfather was one of his biggest fans and closest supporters throughout his football career.
Scott impressed on his first England start in Rijeka and drew praise from Tuchel, linking up well with Elliot Anderson, with whom he won the U21 Euros in 2025.
The midfielder asked to come off in the second half after feeling pain.
Sky Sports News reported Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea were interested in signing Scott this summer, but Bournemouth remained adamant he was not for sale and were under no pressure to sell, with two years remaining on his contract.
Scott has turned down a new deal at the club amid strong interest from other clubs in the Premier League.
Bournemouth play Chelsea in their first game after the international break at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Konsa returns to Arsenal after leaving England camp
Ezri Konsa has also returned to Arsenal after being ruled out of England's final game of the international break with the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Konsa has been struggling with a slight muscle injury during the international break which forced him to miss training last week.
He returned to play the full 90 minutes in England's 7-0 win over Croatia on Saturday night but will now play no further part in the Three Lions' lengthy international camp.
He will head to Arsenal for further assessment on his fitness.
Tuchel added on Konsa: "Ezri came into camp with discomfort. Played against Spain which made it worse. He stayed in camp and tried everything for the match in Croatia and gave the green light.
"Unfortunately, he got another hit on the quad and it caused some light trauma. We decided to not let him play again through the pain. Nothing major but not worth taking the risk."
Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday as Leeds are the visitors to the Emirates Stadium at 12.30pm.
The key games Scott will miss for Bournemouth
- October 10: Chelsea (a) - Premier League
- October 15: Sturm Graz (h) - Europa League
- October 18: Sunderland (h) - Premier League, live on Sky Sports
- October 22: AC Milan (h) - Europa League
- October 25: Man Utd (a) - Premier League, live on Sky Sports
- October 28: Aston Villa (h) - Carabao Cup, live on Sky Sports
- October 31: Leeds (h) - Premier League
