England have confirmed their squad numbers ahead of this summer's FIFA World Cup, with the choices offering potential clues about manager Thomas Tuchel's tactical thinking going into the tournament.

Bellingham handed the coveted No 10

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham — whose role under Tuchel has faced scrutiny in recent months — has been assigned the No 10 shirt, traditionally worn by a team's chief playmaker. The allocation raises the question of whether Bellingham will secure the central attacking berth ahead of Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, who takes No 17.

Elliott Anderson, whose form for Nottingham Forest earned him a place in Tuchel's plans, has been given the No 8 shirt — a sign of the midfielder's growing status within the squad. Brentford's Jordan Henderson, a former wearer of No 8, will take No 14, the same number he wore during his decorated stint at Liverpool.

Defensive clues

Manchester City pair John Stones and Marc Guehi have been handed No 5 and No 6 respectively, suggesting they are set to form England's first-choice central-defensive partnership. Fellow City man Nico O'Reilly takes No 3, widely seen as confirmation that he heads into the tournament as the preferred left-back.

Newcastle United's Dan Burn, who can operate at left-back, will wear No 15, while Reece James — almost certain to start as first-choice right-back — has been given No 24, mirroring the shirt number he wears at Chelsea.

Attacking picture

Marcus Rashford, who concludes a season at Barcelona, takes the No 11 shirt and may hold an edge over fellow wide forward Anthony Gordon — a summer arrival at Barca — who wears No 18, in the battle for the left-side starting role.

As ever, squad numbers should be treated with caution: Reece James's No 24 is the most obvious reminder that shirt assignments do not always reflect the conventional hierarchy.

Full squad numbers

1 Jordan Pickford, 2 Ezri Konsa, 3 Nico O'Reilly, 4 Declan Rice, 5 John Stones, 6 Marc Guehi, 7 Bukayo Saka, 8 Elliott Anderson, 9 Harry Kane, 10 Jude Bellingham, 11 Marcus Rashford, 12 Tino Livramento, 13 Dean Henderson, 14 Jordan Henderson, 15 Dan Burn, 16 Kobbie Mainoo, 17 Morgan Rogers, 18 Anthony Gordon, 19 Ollie Watkins, 20 Noni Madueke, 21 Eberechi Eze, 22 Ivan Toney, 23 James Trafford, 24 Reece James, 25 Djed Spence, 26 Jarell Quansah.