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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Yet, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he claimed that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the same team.

"Currently, if we maintain the formation, they won't fit together.

"They might but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we developed and not for the structure that incorporates wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with specific numbered positions."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but the manager's choices suggest that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

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

Gareth Southgate certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven matches at the European Championship in Germany, where the England team were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the trio have played alongside each other, England have won 10, shared points three times and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has utilized a 4-2-3-1 formation that transforms formation when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and appear in scoring positions.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a holding midfielder and a partner with attacking liberty to join the forward movement.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be competing with other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the central striker, which in theory could enable both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

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

"With his club, he functions as a box-to-box or creative role, so perhaps in coming months we view him as a number eight," 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, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his willingness to leave big players out in the name of balance.