'A big loss!' - Marco Rose confirms huge Alex Scott injury blow as Thomas Tuchel apologises over England duty setback

Speaking on the prognosis, Rose expressed his frustration at losing one of his most influential players after Scott sustained the injury during the recent international break, in which England featured in four UEFA Nations League fixtures. 'I'm not a doctor,' Rose said. 'Injury to a muscle. We'll do a picture in some days, but we'll miss him for four to five weeks. I'm very disappointed and it's a big loss.' The German manager remained diplomatic regarding the circumstances of the injury, adding: 'It's disappointing. I don't want to blame anyone. We're very happy he is in the England national team. He did well.'

Scott's absence will be felt heavily at the Vitality Stadium, where he has established himself as a regular fixture in the starting XI. He has featured in six of Bournemouth's seven matches across all competitions so far this season, contributing one goal and two assists.

The injury has also drawn a response from England manager Thomas Tuchel, who revealed that the medical issue came as a shock to everyone involved. Despite the underlying problem, Scott managed to play 70 minutes during England's dominant 7-0 victory over Croatia. Tuchel insisted that the national team staff were unaware of any physical complaints from the player prior to or during the match, maintaining that player safety is always the priority for the FA.

'There was no concern before the match, not from the player, not from the medical department,' Tuchel said. 'For us, it's players' health first always, that will never change. We took absolutely no risk. We are super sad and disappointed that it happened. I can understand the disappointment of the club, but I was personally not in touch with the club. I'm in touch with the player and I'm of course sorry for Marco, for my colleague who is missing a scorer.'

The loss of Scott comes at a precarious time for Bournemouth, who remain one of only three Premier League teams yet to record a victory this season. Rose's side have drawn three and lost two of their opening five league fixtures, with their most recent outing ending in a 1-0 home defeat against Liverpool. Even more concerning for the Cherries is that they held the lead at some stage in each of their other four matches, only to surrender their advantage and settle for a draw or a loss.

Despite their domestic struggles, there have been glimpses of quality, most notably in their European campaign. Rose's men managed to secure a morale-boosting 2-1 victory away at Real Sociedad in the Europa League, proving they can compete at a high level.

Rose must now find a way to navigate a testing run of fixtures without his midfield engine, starting on Saturday when his side return to Premier League action against Chelsea at the Vitality Stadium.