Alex Scott injury less serious than feared, with Bournemouth hopeful of early return

Bournemouth manager Marco Rose has confirmed that Alex Scott’s thigh injury is significantly less serious than initially feared, raising hopes the midfielder could return to action ahead of the original six-to-eight-week timeline.

Scott sustained the injury while on international duty with England — appearing in the 7-0 win over Croatia in Rijeka — and early assessments had pointed to a lengthy spell on the sidelines. However, a subsequent MRI scan has offered a more encouraging picture.

“We did an MRI and the pictures looked really well,” Rose said. “His progression, his healing, is in a good way. Better than we expected.”

Rose was careful to temper expectations, noting that Scott would not be available immediately. “It means not that he is ready for Sunderland or next week, but we can progress his rehab training, we can bring him back on the pitch to see how he responds,” the Bournemouth head coach explained. “We are not talking about six to eight weeks anymore. We are quite confident that we get him back maybe a little bit earlier.”

The news will be welcomed by Bournemouth given Scott’s growing importance to the club. The 21-year-old made his first senior England start against Croatia during the break, and Bournemouth have since placed a reported £100m price tag on the midfielder should interest materialise in January.

Rose acknowledged the recovery process still requires careful management. “It depends how he responds on the load he gets. We still have to take care, there is still an injury. But it looks much, much better.”