Tuchel Rules Out Kane-Foden-Bellingham Trio, Cites Positional Overlap in England Squad

England manager Thomas Tuchel has dismissed the possibility of fielding Harry Kane, Phil Foden, and Jude Bellingham together in his current tactical setup, stating that the trio are competing for the same position in the team.

According to BBC Sport on Thursday, Real Madrid’s Bellingham and Manchester City’s Foden were recalled for England’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.

When asked if all three stars could feature simultaneously, Tuchel told TalkSport, “At the moment, if we keep the structure, they cannot play. They can, but not in this structure — not for the balance we’ve developed, and not with wingers who are specialists in their positions. They’re currently fighting for the same spot.”

Tuchel explained that Bellingham and Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers are competing for the number 10 role, while he now views Foden as “a mix between a number nine and a 10,” rather than a traditional winger.

Under Tuchel’s 4-3-3 system, England play with wingers on either side of captain Kane. Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka remains the first-choice right winger, while Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon and Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford are options on the left.

This setup leaves strong competition for the playmaking role behind Kane, with Tuchel naming Bellingham, Rogers, Foden, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (currently injured), Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, and Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze among his options.

The England boss admitted it is unlikely he would include five number 10s in his World Cup squad, stressing the need for tactical balance.

“It’s never about individual merit,” Tuchel said. “We will always do what’s best for winning — what keeps the team balanced, even if it means making tough decisions.”

He added that Foden could, in the future, feature in a deeper midfield role similar to how he plays for Manchester City.

England have already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, and will face Serbia at Wembley on Thursday before travelling to Albania on Sunday.