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With six wins out of six, zero goals allowed and tournament placement confirmed with matches remaining, Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel could suggest he has made the right selection choices.

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

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

"It's possible but not with current tactics, not maintaining equilibrium that we developed and not in this formation that incorporates wingers who are essentially experts in their positions. We presently employ with a six, eight, a 10 and a nine."

From guaranteed positions to competitive roles

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 Bukayo Saka are his first choices on the wing positions respectively.

But can Bellingham, Foden and Kane play together?

The previous England manager evidently thought it possible.

Bellingham, Foden and Kane featured in every England's seven games at last summer's tournament in Germany, where the England team fell to the Spanish in the final.

In the 16 matches the stars have performed together, England have won 10, drawn three and suffered three losses, netting 36 goals and allowing 14 goals.

Analysis: Foden's versatility gives Tuchel options

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

The Aston Villa player has been the main number 10 because of his excellent dribbling, shooting ability and capacity to penetrate the area when the striker drops deep.

Tuchel has discussed favoring dedicated wide players. Saka and Gordon play out wide weekly and can retain the ball skillfully, take their full-back on, and enter the area to finish.

In midfield behind the attackers, Tuchel plays with a midfield two 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 attacking alternatives for the creative hub, with Kane expected to lead up front.

Foden could play as the main forward, which in theory could permit both Bellingham and Foden to operate without the captain.

There is a potential solution all three could play in this system and Tuchel hinted at it this week.

"For Man City, he functions as a number eight or 10, so maybe during the next months we regard him as a central midfielder," he said.

Foden has been utilized as a flexible midfielder this season.

That has allowed him to take responsibility deeper and could make him an option as the advanced playmaker, paired with a defensive anchor.

This would then permit Bellingham to feature as the attacking midfielder and Kane as the center forward.

No matter whether Tuchel opts to structure the side like this at the international competition, what bodes well is his readiness to exclude star names in the interest of team harmony.