Harry Kane issues response to Thomas Tuchel claim he, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden cannot play together for England

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Harry Kane insists he, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden can play together, but knows the final decision rests with Thomas Tuchel.Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT last week, England boss Tuchel said the talented attacking trio can’t all play at the same time in his team.Tuchel has a selection headache in his England attackAFP“At the moment, if we keep the structure, they cannot play,” he said. “They can, but not in the structure, not for the balance that we developed.”Tuchel added: “There is a lot of congruence, especially in the no. 10 position, if you think about Phil can play there, you think about Jude. “You think about Morgan Rogers who played fantastic for us in this position. You have Cole Palmer, you have Morgan Gibbs-White.“So there is a lot of players, and there is the chance that we will not take everyone [to the 2026 World Cup].”Ahead of England’s final World Cup qualifier against Albania, Kane was asked about the comments amid strong competition for places.Kane response to Tuchel claim“That’s his perspective of the squad and the profile of the player,” he told talkSPORT’s Faye Carruthers.“With Phil himself, I think it’s good to have clarity on what his position is and where the boss sees him.“He’s played out of position a lot for the country. He’s played deep, he’s played right, he’s played left, he’s played as a false nine.“So I think it’s good for him to have clarity on his role then he can come in, focus on that, try and push his way into the team by working hard, training hard, playing well, like he did when he came on the other day.England captain Kane has given his response to Tuchel’s claimGettyBellingham and Foden may need to battle for a starting role in the XIAFP“In terms of us playing together, we’ve done it before and we’ve had many good games together.“But the boss will have his ideas and, from our point of view, we have to just go with that.”In response to Foden potentially being his backup at striker, Kane said: “I don’t want to say he’s my backup. When have Kane, Bellingham and Foden played together for England?San Marino 0-10 England – 2022 World Cup qualifier – November 15, 2021England 3-0 Ivory Coast – Friendly – March 29, 2022Italy 1-0 England – Nations League – September 23, 2022Germany 3-3 England – Nations League – September 26, 2022England 6-2 Iran – 2022 World Cup group stage – November 21, 2022Wales 0-3 England – 2022 World Cup group stage – November 29, 2022England 3-0 Senegal – 2022 World Cup last 16 – December 4, 2022England 1-2 France – 2022 World Cup quarter-final – December 10, 2022Italy 1-2 England – Euro 2024 qualifier – March 23, 2023Scotland 1-3 England – Friendly – September 12, 2023England 3-1 Italy – Euro 2024 qualifier – October 17, 2023Serbia 0-1 England – Euro 2024 group stage – June 16, 2024Denmark 1-1 England – Euro 2024 group stage – June 20, 2024England 0-0 Slovenia – Euro 2024 group stage – June 25, 2024England 2-1 Slovakia [AET] – Euro 2024 last 16 – June 30, 2024England 1-1 Switzerland [5-3 on pens] – Euro 2024 quarter-final – July 6, 2024The Netherlands 1-2 England – Euro 2024 semi-final – July 10, 2024Spain 2-1 England – Euro 2024 final – July 14, 2024England 2-0 Albania – 2026 World Cup qualifier – March 21, 2025“Everyone’s competing for places. It’s not just that position that Phil’s trying to get into the team with. He’s obviously a fantastic number ten as well.“We have good competition for places. I think he can play as a false nine. I think he’s done it for City at times.“In that sense, we probably have similar profiles in how we like to drop and get on the ball and then arrive in the box a little bit later.Kane heaped praise on Foden for his versatility for EnglandGetty“He’s definitely got the attributes for it. Phil’s an amazing player and he’s shown that he can play in different positions. I think the boss is looking at him to see if he can do that role.”Bellingham and Foden, who missed the past two squads, started on the bench in the 2-0 win against Serbia.Although he came on in the 65th minute at Wembley, Kane was asked about how Bellingham has responded to not being a starter.“I think Jude’s dealt with it well. This is his first camp for a while because of injury. Sometimes people have maybe forgotten that.“He hasn’t been dropped from the squad. He’s just not been fit. So I think there’s a better perspective there. He’s competing for places like all of us are.“He’s obviously an incredible player. He’s playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world and he comes into the England team and you’ve got other great players who are competing for the same spot.Kane has also been impressed with Bellingham’s response to being benchedGetty“But Jude’s been great. He’s been focused. He’s trained really well. I thought he’d come on and done well the other night as well.“Jude’s a big part if we want to be successful and he needs to be playing at his highest level.“So moments like this will only motivate him and push him to be more competitive and push his way into the team. I know he’s ready to go whenever called upon.”What next for England?A visit to Albania on Sunday marks the end of England’s 2026 World Cup qualification campaign, one that remains flawless.The Three Lions have scored 20 goals and not conceded any in their seven matches in what has been a dominant Group K performance.England sealed their qualification last month by thrashing Latvia 5-0 and were the first European side to reach the finals.Tuchel may need to leave a big name out of his squad for the World CupGettyOn December 5, the group stage draw for next summer’s tournament will be made at the Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C.After the March international break, England are set to play in two friendlies in June before making their journey to the World Cup.