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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 might claim he has got all of his big qualifying decisions correct.

Nevertheless, in the lead-up to Thursday's Wembley encounter against Serbia, he raised questions when he said that three of the England's elite footballers - Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane - are unable to feature in the equivalent formation.

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

"They can but not with current tactics, not preserving harmony that we developed and not within the framework that incorporates wingers who are highly specialized in their positions. We play at the moment with defensive, central, attacking midfielders and striker."

From automatic picks to contested places

Foden and Bellingham have been deployed on the flanks for England in the past, but his team selections imply that the Manchester United forward and the Gunners' star are his preferred options on the left and right flank respectively.

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

The previous England manager certainly thought so.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane started all of England's seven games 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 simultaneously, England have secured 10 victories, tied three matches and suffered three losses, netting 36 goals and letting in 14 strikes.

Strategic view: Versatile Foden offers solutions

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his strong ball-carrying, ball-striking and ability to attack the box when the number nine withdraws.

Tuchel has spoken about preferring dedicated wide players. The Arsenal and Newcastle stars consistently operate in wide areas and can hold the ball well, engage in one-on-one situations, and enter the area to finish.

Supporting the attacking quartet, Tuchel employs a double pivot consisting of a disciplined defensive presence and a partner with attacking liberty to support offensive play.

So how could Tuchel use these three players?

Foden and Bellingham would be battling with other creative midfielders for the number 10 role, with Kane likely to start up front.

Foden could feature as the main forward, which in theory could enable both Bellingham and Foden to feature instead of Kane.

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

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

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

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

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

Irrespective of whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the global tournament, what appears positive is his willingness to leave big players out in the interest of team harmony.