Rice facing new England rival after Tuchel side's 7-0 Croatia rout

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Declan Rice sat out England's 7-0 demolition of Croatia on Saturday night, and by the time the final whistle went in Zagreb, the conversation around the Three Lions midfield had shifted.

The Arsenal man withdrew from Thomas Tuchel's squad for this international break, with football.london reporting that the decision was taken over load management concerns following a demanding run of fixtures. Rice played through injury at the World Cup in America, where England finished third, and the workload appears to have caught up with him.

He still turned up at Wembley to support his teammates during the 3-2 defeat to Spain earlier in the window. For the trip to Croatia, though, he was watching from home — and watching a midfield that functioned just fine without him.

Alex Scott's statement debut

Bournemouth's Alex Scott was handed his first England start alongside Elliot Anderson and Jude Bellingham, and he was involved in the build-up for both England's opener and their fifth goal. Harry Kane scored twice, as did Bukayo Saka, with Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers completing the scoring.

Scott came out of the night with his reputation enhanced after a performance in which he got the better of Mateo Kovacic and Luka Modric in the centre of the park.

Tuchel had already signalled his faith in the midfielder after a cameo against Czechia. "He has legs, good in defending and the high press, very smooth on the ball, good on decision making, and that's why he has our trust," the England boss said.

With Rice unavailable, Scott is in line for another opportunity when England host Czechia at Wembley on Tuesday night.

Lewis-Skelly also squeezed

The ripple effect extends to another Arsenal player. Myles Lewis-Skelly, the left-back who has been converted into a midfield role, started both the Spain and Czechia fixtures in that position before being replaced by Scott for the Croatia trip.

Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo and Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton are also in the mix, meaning Tuchel now has a genuine surplus of options in the engine room with the Euros under two years away.

Some England supporters used social media after the Croatia result to argue that the balance looked better without Rice in the pivot, though others maintained he remains a guaranteed starter whenever he is fit and available — with the debate instead centring on who partners him.

For Arsenal, the immediate takeaway is simpler. Rice returns from the break having had a rest that the club and country both deemed necessary, and his club form over the coming months will be the clearest message he can send to Tuchel.

England's squad for the next international window will tell us how much weight the manager placed on what he saw in Zagreb.