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With six wins out of six, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the same team.

"Currently, if we keep the structure, they cannot play.

"It's possible but not within this system, not maintaining equilibrium that we created and not within the framework that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his preferred options on the wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven matches at Euro 2024 in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the stars have performed alongside each other, England have triumphed 10 times, tied three matches and lost three, registering 36 scores 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.

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and appear in scoring positions.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and one with more license to join the forward movement.

What solutions exist for the trio?

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane probably featuring up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which theoretically could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

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

"With his club, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we consider him as a box-to-box player," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could position him as the central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the creative force and Kane as the nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel chooses to configure the team like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his preparedness to omit established stars in the interest of team harmony.