Thomas Tuchel would have "no problem" playing Phil Foden as England's central striker should Harry Kane be unavailable after the Manchester City forward's surprise 'false nine' appearance against Serbia.
Just after the hour mark, Foden replaced England captain Kane and impressed as the No 9 - setting up Eberechi Eze's 90th minute goal in the 2-0 win, while creating another chance for the Arsenal forward, who hit the bar.
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Much was made about England's lack of back-up striker options to record goalscorer Kane in this Three Lions squad for the November international break, but Tuchel believes he has another option in his deck.
"It's absolutely an opportunity," said Tuchel about whether Foden would get a chance in that role if anything happened to Kane.
"If Phil stays in his shape and form, I have no problem [playing him as a No 9]. I have some other options in mind that I do not want to discuss in public.
"Don't forget we have Ollie Watkins and [Danny] Welbeck, [who are maybe] more No 9s, also different options to Harry.
"We have many options but it will maybe be about who is in shape, what we have in the squad and how we share the minutes, who we play and what we expect from the match."
Asked if Foden could even challenge Kane for a spot if he continues his fine form for City, Tuchel replied: "Well, it's a big ask to challenge Harry at the moment - he's in the shape of his life. The attitude, the work rate, the quality and the finishing ratio is just out of control, out of this world.
"But even here, maybe [for Phil] to be an accomplice together with Harry and to share some minutes in decisive matches.
"I had the idea several months ago, because I played against him in these kind of positions, I had the feeling in the Premier League he was really, really tough with his little movements, counter-movements, little runs. City were so dominant in these little positions, in the pockets, the half-turns. And he was shooting, he played a one-two, and he did a little run off the ball and assisted, so you couldn't catch him.
"When we made the long list with 50, 60 players, of course, it's outstanding quality, and I was hoping he might have come from first camp and then he had a difficult spell at City.
"And now he has come back for City, he has played actually a deeper role, almost like as an eight. So let's see where this is all going, but I wanted to see him close to the opponent's box, I wanted to see him in the middle of the traffic, surrounded with a lot of players."
Foden: The smile is back, false nine could bring best of me
Speaking after the game, Foden admitted that he "did well" in that role and hopes the position change could bring the best out of him in England colours.
"I thought I did well, created a few chances and unlucky not to put a couple away," he told ITV Sport. "Overall, I have to be happy with the impact.
"I'll play wherever the manager puts me. I can play multiple positions and I was happy to come on as a false nine. I enjoyed it. Maybe it will get the best out of me, only time will tell.
"There are quality players all over the pitch. I know there is pressure on me to perform at Man City and I just have to keep my head down and earn my place. The smile is back."
Analysis: Can Foden work up front for England?
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz at Wembley:
Thomas Tuchel's tactical nous came out at Wembley.
With England struggling in the first 25 minutes, he moved Kane deeper, pushed Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford even more behind him and three minutes after a touchline tactical time-out, the Three Lions were ahead.
But seeing Foden come out as a false nine showed how complex Tuchel can go in his pursuit of success.
Foden turning out in that role is not actually a surprise. He indeed has played there before for Man City - his 1,056 league minutes for Pep Guardiola's side over the last four years add up to nearly a dozen 90-minute games.
Tuchel also mentioned the possibility of Foden as a No 9 in his pre-match press conference.
The issue that Tuchel has is with Kane dropping deep and Foden naturally a midfielder - where is the threat in behind from the central striker?
Some will point to the wide areas being an area for that - Saka and Eze scored against Serbia for example - but it makes England's game plan depthless.
For all of England's success in this group, they have not scored their opener before the 20th minute. It is not hard to prepare against and deal with for a nearly quarter of the game. At the highest level, those periods cannot be taken for granted.
Yes, in some qualifiers they were up against low blocks, which slows down the start to matches, and still managed to be 3-0 up at half-time. There was the early dismantling of Wales, but they were foolishly bold against this Three Lions attack at Wembley.
But England will face better opponents - and better defences. They need something different off the bench. Tuchel namechecked Watkins and Welbeck as more natural No 9 options who can be used as wildcards.
And if he can get that 'Plan B' centre forward conundrum right via Foden and one other, he is one step closer to getting his England squad complete.
(c) Sky Sports 2025: Phil Foden could play as No 9 for England or as Harry Kane's 'accomplice', says Thomas Tuchel
