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With six wins from six matches, no goals conceded and a World Cup spot assured before the final rounds, England manager Thomas Tuchel might claim he has made the right selection choices.

However, in the preparation for Thursday's home game against Serbia, he initiated discussion when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - cannot play in the same team.

"Presently, if we keep the structure, they are unable to feature.

"It's possible but not in the structure, not preserving harmony that we established and not in this formation that also includes wingers who are like specialists in their positions. We presently employ with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

The Manchester City and Real Madrid stars have been deployed on the flanks 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 left and right flank respectively.

The question remains whether Bellingham, Foden and Kane coexist in the lineup?

Gareth Southgate apparently believed they could.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games at the European Championship in Germany, where the national squad fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have secured 10 victories, shared points three times and been defeated three times, scoring 36 times and conceding 14.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

The young midfielder has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, ball-striking and skill in entering the penalty area when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has discussed favoring specialist wingers. Saka and Gordon play out wide weekly and can maintain possession effectively, engage in one-on-one situations, and arrive in the box to score.

Behind this front four, Tuchel plays with a midfield two consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and another with greater freedom to support offensive play.

Potential configurations for England's stars

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the creative hub, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could feature as the number nine, which potentially could permit both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

There is a potential solution all three could coexist effectively and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"With his club, he plays almost like a central or attacking midfielder, so maybe during the next months we consider him as a central midfielder," he said.

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

That has permitted him to contribute from midfield and could categorize him as the advanced playmaker, next to a more defensive number six.

This would then allow Bellingham to play as the creative force and Kane as the center forward.

Irrespective of whether Tuchel decides to set England up like this at the World Cup, what seems encouraging is his preparedness to omit established stars in the interest of team harmony.