Tuchel insists conscience is clear as Konsa and Scott return injured to clubs

Thomas Tuchel has defended his decision-making after Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott and Arsenal defender Ezri Konsa both withdrew from the England squad with injuries ahead of Tuesday’s Nations League fixture against Czechia, with Scott facing a potential two-month absence following his appearance against Croatia.

Scott played through a tendon injury in Saturday’s clash with Croatia, and Tuchel has since faced criticism from Premier League clubs over the management of their players during a demanding schedule of four games in 11 days. Despite the backlash, the England head coach was unequivocal when asked whether his conscience was clear.

“Yes, 100 per cent,” Tuchel said. “There was zero risk-taking from our side, no awareness that there’s any risk that something could happen like this. It’s kind of a one-off. A strange one.”

Tuchel explained that Scott had completed both training sessions before the Croatia match, including extra individual work afterwards, and that medical staff had given the all-clear throughout. He added that Scott himself had declined the opportunity to come off during the game and felt no injury even the following day, before a scan revealed the extent of the problem.

“I can 100 per cent understand that Bournemouth is not happy, and is sad, because they lose a key player,” Tuchel said. “I can just say, from the moment that we took the decision to let him play, there was absolutely no risk whatsoever apparent to me or to our physical staff.”

It is understood that Bournemouth were aware Scott had an existing issue prior to the match, and that the player himself was eager to play. Nico O’Reilly has also left the England camp due to injury during the same international window.

Konsa’s withdrawal is a significant concern for Arsenal, who face Leeds in the Premier League on Saturday before a Champions League tie with Lille. Tuchel confirmed the centre-back had felt discomfort from the moment he arrived in camp, played through it against Spain, and ultimately could not recover in time for the Czechia fixture.

“He felt discomfort when he came into camp, played with discomfort against Spain, and it got a bit worse,” Tuchel said. “He tried everything for the match in Czechia — that came too soon.”

Arsenal are already stretched at the back without William Saliba, and have also seen Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis pick up injuries during the international window, compounding the defensive headache ahead of a congested fixture run.