Kane, Bellingham and Foden are unable to fit in the same lineup - does the manager have a point?

With six wins from six matches, zero goals allowed and a World Cup spot secured with two group games to spare, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's domestic match 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 won't fit together.

"They can but not in the structure, not maintaining equilibrium that we created and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We play at the moment with specific numbered positions."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been used in wide positions for England in the past, but Tuchel's selections suggest that the Manchester United forward and Arsenal's winger are his first choices on the wide areas respectively.

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

Former Three Lions boss certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven matches at last summer's tournament in Germany, where Southgate's side were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and suffered three losses, netting 36 goals and letting in 14 strikes.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

Morgan Rogers has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, shooting ability and skill in entering the penalty area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. The wide attackers regularly feature on the wings and can maintain possession effectively, challenge defenders, and arrive in the box to score.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of one defensively strict player and one with more license to contribute to the attack.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be vying against Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could feature as the number nine, which in theory could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is one way all three could feature together and Tuchel suggested it this week.

"For Man City, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a box-to-box player," he said.

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

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

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the number 10 and Kane as the nine.

No matter whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the World Cup, what appears positive is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.