Thomas Tuchel hands England outsider unexpected World Cup opportunity

Alex Scott could finally make his England debut in the coming days after being handed an unexpected opportunity by Thomas Tuchel despite missing out on the World Cup squad.

The Bournemouth midfielder has travelled to Florida as part of England's preparations for the tournament and is now in contention to feature in upcoming friendly matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica.

While Scott was overlooked when Tuchel finalised his 26-man World Cup squad, the 22-year-old remains firmly in the England manager's thoughts.

Scott is one of five additional players invited to join the Three Lions' training camp in the United States.

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Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha, Fulham's Josh King, Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele and Arsenal wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri have also been included as England continue preparations ahead of the tournament.

The group arrived while England awaited the arrival of several players involved in recent European finals.

Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson are all due to join the squad later.

In the meantime, the supplementary group has been given the chance to impress Tuchel up close.

Crucially, all five players are eligible to feature in England's warm-up fixtures, creating a potential route to a first senior appearance for Scott.

The midfielder came close to making the final World Cup squad after being included in Tuchel's provisional 55-man list before ultimately missing out when the final selections were made.

That decision was understandably disappointing for the former Bristol City star, who had hoped to force his way into England's plans following another impressive Premier League campaign.

However, Tuchel has revealed that Scott's response to the setback played a major role in his decision to keep him involved.

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Speaking about the Bournemouth midfielder, the England boss praised both his attitude and professionalism.

"I'm really happy these guys are with us, especially Alex," Tuchel said.

"He was with us in the list of 55 and had a kind of disappointing phone call as well that he didn't make the first cut."

Rather than becoming frustrated, Scott immediately made it clear he wanted to remain around the squad.

"The reaction of him was outstanding," Tuchel added.

"The commitment, the wish to be in pre-camp and to just be a step closer to the team was not even a question for him."

Tuchel admitted Scott's attitude left a lasting impression.

"He showed me his character and his spirit, so I'm delighted that he's with us because it was a close call."

Of the five additional players currently in Florida, Scott is the only one who featured in Tuchel's provisional World Cup plans.

That means he remains the most likely candidate to earn a late call-up should injuries affect England's squad before the tournament gets fully under way.

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