LONDON: England manager Thomas Tuchel said Declan Rice must contend for his place in midfield after Alex Scott impressed on his first international start in Saturday's 7-0 Nations League win over Croatia.
With Rice withdrawn from the squad, Bournemouth's Scott played alongside Elliot Anderson in central midfield. The pair controlled the game against Croatian veterans Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic.
Asked whether the Arsenal midfielder should be concerned about his place, Tuchel said he should.
"Of course, and he does, we need performances like this," Tuchel told reporters. "This is just the nature of it. We will not survive on two central midfielders."
Tuchel was quick to stress Rice's standing in the squad.
"Declan knows about his importance, and he's one of the very best midfielders in Europe," he said. "Nothing will change that. But it's exactly what we need. We need more, more, more, more variety. We need more, more, more options. Then it's always about the guys who are in camp. Alex was in the highest level."
England is second in its group behind World Cup winners Spain. It hosts the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday.
