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With six wins out of six, no goals conceded and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

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

"Presently, if we stick with the system, they cannot play.

"It's possible but not within this system, not for the balance that we created and not in this formation 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

England's creative talents 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 wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Gareth Southgate evidently thought it possible.

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

In the 16 games the three have featured alongside each other, England have won 10, drawn three and lost three, netting 36 goals and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, strike quality and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, take their full-back on, and arrive in the box to score.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to join the forward movement.

Potential configurations for England's stars

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

Foden could feature as the number nine, which in theory could enable both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

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

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a central or attacking midfielder, 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 enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the center forward.

Regardless of if Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.