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Having secured six victories in six games, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the nation's top talents - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the same team.

"Presently, if we keep the structure, they are unable to feature.

"They can but not within this system, not for the balance that we developed and not for the structure that also includes wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with specific numbered positions."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his primary selections on the left and right flank respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the trio have played alongside each other, England have won 10, drawn three and lost three, registering 36 scores and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.

Morgan Rogers has been the key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could play as the central striker, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is an alternative approach all three could feature together and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a central midfielder," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could categorize him as the central midfielder, alongside a holding midfielder.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the pursuit of tactical equilibrium.