England star left out of Tuchel’s squad refusing to give up on World Cup dream | Football | Sport

Alex Scott has revealed it took him just “two seconds” to decide to board the flight to the United States – and insists he has not abandoned hope of featuring at the World Cup. Bournemouth midfielder Scott, 22, admits he was “disappointed” to miss out on England’s squad entirely, acknowledging that some players might have reacted far less graciously to the snub.

England manager Thomas Tuchel delivered a mixed message when he called. The unwelcome news was that Scott had failed to make the 26-man squad, yet in the same breath, Tuchel extended an invitation for him to join the training camp in Florida. Scott is poised to feature for England in their warm-up friendly against New Zealand in Tampa on Saturday, effectively positioning himself as first in line should any squad member pick up an injury.

Asked whether he had considered simply jetting off on holiday instead, Scott replied: “No, definitely not. That’s how the call went. First of all, he said ‘You won’t be with us’ but then he said straight away that he really wants me to come to the prep camp and I need time to think about it and see if I want to come because he understands how disappointing it can be.

“But I said yes straight away, it took me two seconds to say ‘Of course I want to come and be part of the group for the prep camp.’ It is great to be here and to be in the States helping the boys prepare as best as they can for the tournament.

“For me it is just an honour to be here and be part of the prep camp. It’s obviously disappointing not to be in the final squad, but for him to put the trust and belief in me to join the group and come here ahead of such a massive tournament is a real privilege.

“It is what you dream of as a kid to play for your country. It is everything. Obviously I haven’t got my cap yet, but even being here and being around so many top players who will hopefully go on and win the trophy for us.

“Being a fan first and foremost and watching so many tournaments, it is great being part of this group and seeing how they work day to day and seeing what goes into a World Cup preparation.”

Scott is amongst four “training players” – alongside Josh King, Rio Ngumoha and Ethan Nwaneri – though he remains the sole player eligible for promotion to the full squad should injury strike.

Any player must feature in the initial 55-man provisional list to even be considered at this juncture, but FIFA does permit eleventh-hour alterations due to injury.

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Scott has just completed an outstanding season with Bournemouth, where his sensational performances have garnered glowing praise and transformed him into a sought-after prospect this summer.

However, this follows his England call-up last November – before being withdrawn from the squad in March after failing to secure any playing time during the preceding camp. However, it was Scott’s response to being omitted that truly ignited his season, as he channelled the disappointment into motivation to silence his critics.

Scott said: “I think you have to. I am in a very privileged position to be playing football in the Premier League and playing around the England squad as well.

“For me, it was disappointing, but it was also fuel to go again, keep improving and playing well. I have said many times the talent we have in this country is incredible, just being part of that and around those conversations is great for me.

“I was left out in March and we played Manchester United that evening and I played really well, so it gave me that extra bit of fuel going into the evening game.

“But it was definitely about keeping my head down and hopefully I can be in the manager’s plans in the future.”

Scott remains hopeful of making the final squad after Tuchel revealed he is effectively first reserve, telling “three or four” others in different positions to remain available and “near the phone” should further injuries occur.

Yet Scott’s summer plans reveal just how much a call-up would mean to him. He added: “I’d probably just go home and watch it with my friends, as I have done with the Euros in 2024 and the World Cup before that as well. I watched them with my friends.

“I am a massive England fan, so I’ll be with them and supporting the team. It would be nice to know I have been part of the group as well.”

England hopeful Scott would not be the first player to put his summer plans on hold – and jet back to the World Cup. Back in 2002, Trevor Sinclair flew home from South Korea after being cut from the squad only to do a U-turn as soon as he landed back at Heathrow.

Danny Murphy got injured, former England boss Sven Goran Eriksson got back on the phone and Sinclair rejoined the squad. Incredibly, Sinclair went on to make the starting line-up against Brazil in the quarter-final, only for it to end in heartbreak and defeat.

There was one other famous case when Rio Ferdinand got injured on the eve of the tournament, with FIFA rules allowing another player to be called up for a fresh injury.

Tottenham defender Michael Dawson subsequently flew straight out to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.