England boss Tuchel says Scott can challenge Rice for midfield spot

England manager Thomas Tuchel said Declan Rice faces competition for his midfield spot after Alex Scott delivered an impressive performance on his first international start in Saturday’s 7-0 thrashing of Croatia.

With Rice having withdrawn from the squad, Bournemouth’s Scott featured in midfield alongside Elliot Anderson for the Nations League match, and the pair dictated play despite being up against Croatian veterans Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic.

When asked if Arsenal’s Rice might be worried about his place in the team, Tuchel told reporters: “Of course, and he does, we need performances like this.

“This is just the nature of it. We will not survive on two central midfielders.

“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. We need more, more, more options. Then it’s always about the guys who are in camp. Alex was in the highest level.”

England, second in their group behind World Cup winners Spain, host the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday.