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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the build-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.

"Presently, if we stick with the system, they are unable to feature.

"It's possible but not with current tactics, not maintaining equilibrium that we created and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that Marcus Rashford and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven matches at the European Championship in Germany, where Southgate's side lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the three have featured alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, tied three matches and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that alters structure when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his impressive ball progression, shooting ability and ability to attack the box when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against attacking alternatives for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could operate as the number nine, which theoretically could allow both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is one way all three could play in this system and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, so potentially in future we view him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been deployed in a versatile central position this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could categorize him as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the striker.

Regardless of if Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.