Thomas Tuchel has admitted he is still searching for the right central midfield pairing with the World Cup now just nine months away.
Tuchel called Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton into the England senior squad for the first time for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra at Villa Park on Saturday and Serbia in Belgrade next week.
Wharton's subsequent withdrawal through injury also meant a call-up for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who will compete with Anderson, Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson for minutes in the next two games.
Tuchel has called up 13 different midfielders in three squads since he became England manager. It is clearly an area of the team where he has more questions than answers, but he is confident he can strike the right balance - and even named John Stones as a future midfield option - though he has pulled out of the squad.
He said: "At the moment the four players are competing in central midfield, Jordan [Henderson], Declan [Rice], Elliot [Anderson] and Ruben [Loftus-Cheek]. They are all very mobile players.
"There is not one pivotal, classic, deep number six. Except maybe John Stones, who fits this characteristic. But he left this morning.
"The strength of our players is to be mobile, and in modern-day football that is more of an advantage than a disadvantage. We have our ideas of how we will set up and you will hopefully see some glimpses of it tomorrow and against Serbia, and from there we will go.
"We have top players and we will find the right pairing. We have to be flexible because anything can happen, someone can be injured and it is not the moment to make a final decision for the World Cup."
Stones out of England squad through injury
Tuchel confirmed Stones has withdrawn from the England squad through injury and returned to Manchester City.
The 31-year-old has not added to his 83 caps since last October, and his first camp under Tuchel has come to a premature end.
The England boss said: "Unfortunately, John Stones just left. He came with minor issues, muscular issues, to camp and didn't progress as we thought and hoped he would.
"So, he left camp this morning (Friday) because we will not take the risk. Everyone else is available."
While it is a gut punch for Stones, the England boss has told the defender not to be too downbeat as he remains a major part of his plans.
"I hope he keeps his spirit up because he will stay important for us," Tuchel told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"I saw in these three days what he means to the group as a personality and as a social glue within the group.
"What he brings to the pitch is outstanding quality as a central defender and possibly as a pivotal number six, but we have to adapt to it.
"He's now not available anymore. We will find solutions for it."
Tuchel said captain Harry Kane will lead the line for England as he names a strong line-up for the qualifier against Andorra.
England's midfield dilemma
Sky Sports News' Rob Dorsett at England's training ground:
The interesting thing is the midfield. HTuchel's still striving to find something in midfield.
We know that if he picks his strongest XI and everyone is fit, Jude Bellingham is No 10 and Declan Rice is No 8. There's no doubt about that. But he still has some issues in identifying who that defensive midfielder is.
He called up Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson for the first time to try and iron that problem out. Now Wharton is out with injury and he's called up Ruben Loftus-Cheek, so Anderson has a massive opportunity to try and stake a claim in this camp.
Tuchel made it clear to me he doesn't want to play Rice deeper. His role at Arsenal has developed over the years, he has been given a freedom that brings out the best in Rice. Tuchel has recognised that and he doesn't want to change or shackle him.
So playing Rice at No 6 again - I don't think that will happen.
Someone who could be that player - and England fans may not like it - is Jordan Henderson. That's why he keeps being picked by Tuchel. He is that experienced defensive midfielder.
You go back to [former France captain] Didier Deschamps - the 'water carrier' role. Every side, there has to be someone to do the dirty stuff. And maybe Henderson doesn't have the legs to get about the pitch as much, but for someone sitting in front of that defence he can definitely do that role.
Who could England's defensive midfield options be?
Declan Rice
Declan Rice has sat at the base of England's midfield for the last three international tournaments but it looks like the Arsenal midfielder is set for a change in position.
That is because Mikel Arteta has used the Rice in a more attacking No 8 rolw. In fact, 84 per cent of Rice's Premier League minutes since the start of last season have come in a more advanced position.
It has resulted in a more expressive Rice in midfield - reflected in his increase in goals and assists for the Gunners.
Jordan Henderson
Before Rice, Jordan Henderson was England's go-to sitting midfielder at the 2018 World Cup under Gareth Southgate.
While Rice's rise and Henderson's experiences abroad in Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands reduced the midfielder's importance, he has been an ever-present figure in Tuchel's squads.
Now back in the Premier League at Brentford, the former Liverpool captain can show he is still capable of delivering on the biggest stage - and that could result in an England starting spot.
Elliot Anderson
One of the wildcard options. Anderson picked England over Scotland for his international future, and earned a senior call-up on the basis of his breakout campaign at Nottingham Forest last term.
The midfielder was a pivotal and somewhat underrated member of Nuno Espirito Santo's side, displaying lots of defensive nous but also showing his dead-ball prowess.
That brings us onto an interesting point, though: is he just another Declan Rice? Anderson played the vast majority of football for Forest as a left No 8.
When his position was tweaked, he actually played even higher up as a left winger. That doesn't exactly scream 'defensive midfielder'.
Adam Wharton
The other wildcard. Thomas Tuchel wanted to see the Crystal Palace midfielder in the September camp but injury forced Wharton to pull out of contention.
Wharton has shown how pivotal he can be by putting in standout displays in Palace's run to winning the FA Cup. He will now have a chance on the European stage with the Eagles this season.
But just like Anderson, Wharton does not play as Palace's deepest midfielder. With the 21-year-old only having one England cap to his name, can he really be trusted to marshal the England midfield with just three camps left to prove his worth before the World Cup?
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
A few eyebrows were raised when Ruben Loftus-Cheek was called up to replace Wharton - but a closer analysis on how Tuchel managed him at Chelsea shows why.
The AC Milan midfielder has been playing as an attacking option for the Italian side, but at Tuchel's Chelsea, Loftus-Cheek played all over - including in defence.
"Since I've been at Milan I played a lot higher, closer to the striker to get goals and help the team in the final third," Loftus-Cheek said on Monday. "But under Thomas I played a lot more deeper, so I'm able to do that.
"And of course, with things that can happen in a tournament, being versatile is kind of a good thing." Has good fortune taken Loftus-Cheek closer to Tuchel's World Cup thinking?
John Stones
More eyebrows were raised by Tuchel when he named John Stones as one of his more natural options to be a deep No 6.
Stones has been a constant in England tournament squads down the years as a centre-back. But his fluid role of stepping into midfield in Pep Guardiola's set-up may help him in a more advanced role.
Since the 2017-18 season, Stones has actually played 1,119 minutes in midfield for City in the Premier League. That's the equivalent of 12-and-a-half games.
Myles Lewis-Skelly
Is there another option Tuchel could use in Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly?
The teenager has been England's breakout star in 2025 as a left-back - but it is worth noting that he came through Arsenal's academy as a deep-lying No 6.
And after Tuchel's first game as England coach against Albania - which was also Lewis-Skelly's goalscoring debut for the Three Lions - the German described the Arsenal teen's position as an "inverted No 6".
So could Lewis-Skelly help marshal the England midfield alongside his Arsenal team-mate Rice?
Angel Gomes
The Marseille midfielder was an ever-present in Lee Carsley's short England reign but hasn't been seen under Tuchel.
However, the FA have known about Gomes' potential as a No 6 for some time. Former England assistant manager Steve Holland delivered presentations to other FA coaches on the type of players the England set-up wants to see.
"A Frenkie de Jong who can receive the ball off the back four and then move away, use disguises and so on," Paul McGuinness, who was in those meetings while working for the FA, told Sky Sports last year.
"We've seen Rodri do it for Spain and Man City. That's one profile that we would be trying to promote within our country to try and improve.
"We searched within the FA to try and improve that type of midfield player. That's the type of player Angel is."
