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Having secured six victories in six games, an unbreached defense and a World Cup spot confirmed with matches remaining, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he sparked a debate when he claimed that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - struggle to perform in the same team.

"At the moment, if we stick with the system, they won't fit together.

"It's possible but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we created and not within the framework that comes also with wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From certain starters to fighting for spots

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been utilized out wide for England in the past, but the manager's choices indicate that Marcus Rashford and the Gunners' star are his primary selections on the wide areas respectively.

So can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven matches at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the national squad were defeated by Spain in the final.

In the 16 matches the three have featured together, England have won 10, tied three matches and been defeated three times, registering 36 scores and conceding 14.

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 key creative force because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has mentioned preferring specialist wingers. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars regularly feature on the wings and can retain the ball skillfully, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Behind this front four, Tuchel utilizes two central midfielders consisting of a holding midfielder and one with more license to contribute to the attack.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the attacking midfield position, with Kane likely to start up front.

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

There is one way all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"At Manchester City, he operates similarly to a box-to-box or creative role, so potentially in future we view him as a number eight," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has enabled him to operate from deeper areas and could make him an option as the number eight, alongside a holding midfielder.

This would then enable Bellingham to operate as the creative force and Kane as the nine.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the name of balance.