England head coach Thomas Tuchel has made it clear that Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden cannot all fit into his current system at the same time, insisting the trio are battling for similar roles on the pitch.
Speaking on TalkSport ahead of England’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania, Tuchel said the squad’s balance would be affected if he tried to squeeze all three into the same starting line-up.
According to him, Real Madrid midfielder Bellingham and Manchester City star Foden are both naturally drifting toward the number 10 role, which also happens to be the area where Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers is competing.
“At the moment, if we keep the structure, they cannot play,” Tuchel said. “They can, but not in the structure, not for the balance we developed, and not with the wingers who are specialists in their positions. They are fighting for the same position.”
The German coach has largely stuck to a 4-3-3 system since taking charge, with Kane leading the attack, Bukayo Saka on the right, and either Anthony Gordon or Marcus Rashford on the left.
With so many creative midfielders pushing for the number 10 spot behind Kane, Tuchel admitted that at least one big name might miss out on England’s 2026 World Cup squad.
He listed Bellingham, Foden, Rogers, Cole Palmer (currently injured), Morgan Gibbs-White, and Eberechi Eze as contenders for the same role.
“It’s very unlikely we will select five number 10s,” he said. “Anyone who misses out won’t miss out because they don’t deserve it, but because we must choose what gives us the best chance of winning.”
Tuchel added that Foden could still be an option as a midfield eight “maybe during the next months,” similar to how Pep Guardiola sometimes uses him at Manchester City.
England, who already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup with two matches to spare, host Serbia at Wembley on Thursday before travelling to Albania on Sunday.
