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With six wins out of six, no goals conceded and World Cup qualification confirmed with matches remaining, England manager Thomas Tuchel can argue he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Yet, in the build-up to Thursday's home game against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he said that three of the country's best players - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the same team.

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

"They might but not with current tactics, not maintaining equilibrium that we developed and not in this formation that comes also with wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

England's creative talents have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but his team selections suggest that Marcus Rashford and the Gunners' star are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven fixtures at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad lost to Spain in the final.

In the 16 games the stars have performed alongside each other, England have secured 10 victories, drawn three and suffered three losses, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

Tuchel has played a 4-2-3-1 system that changes shape when England attack.

The young midfielder has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and capacity to penetrate the area when the forward retreats.

Tuchel has discussed favoring natural flank operators. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

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

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

There is one way all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel alluded to it this week.

"At Manchester City, he functions as a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a number eight," he said.

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

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could position him as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the number 10 and Kane as the striker.

No matter whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.