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Having secured six victories out of six, an unbreached defense and World Cup qualification assured before the final rounds, national team coach Thomas Tuchel might claim he has chosen wisely throughout qualification.

Nevertheless, in the preparation for Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.

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

"It's possible but not with current tactics, not for the balance that we developed and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We currently utilize with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From automatic picks to contested places

England's creative talents have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections indicate that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane operate simultaneously?

Former Three Lions boss evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane were selected for each England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 fixtures the three have featured simultaneously, England have won 10, tied three matches and been defeated three times, 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 young midfielder has been the primary attacking midfielder because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the number nine withdraws.

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

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the attacking midfield position, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could feature as the central striker, which potentially could allow both Bellingham and Foden to play at Kane's expense.

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

"At Manchester City, he plays almost like a number eight or 10, so potentially in future we consider him as a box-to-box player," 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 central midfielder, paired with a defensive anchor.

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

Regardless of if Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.