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With six wins out of six, no goals conceded and a World Cup spot confirmed with matches remaining, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's domestic match against Serbia, he raised questions when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.

"Currently, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.

"It's possible but not in the structure, not for the balance that we established and not for the structure that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We currently utilize with specific numbered positions."

From automatic picks to contested places

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but his team selections suggest that Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka are his primary selections on the wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Former Three Lions boss evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at last summer's tournament in Germany, where Southgate's side fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 games the trio have played alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, shared points three times and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and allowing 14 goals.

Tactical insight: Foden's flexibility provides alternatives

Tuchel has employed a four-two-three-one setup that changes shape when England attack.

The Aston Villa player has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his impressive ball progression, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, take their full-back on, and enter the area to finish.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and one with more license to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

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

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

There is an alternative approach all three could play in this system and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"With his club, he functions as a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future we consider him as a number eight," he said.

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

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could position him as the central midfielder, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.