Jose Mourinho would start Kalvin Phillips against for England against Croatia but admitted Jude Bellingham could be the perfect foil for Declan Rice.
The Leeds United midfielder is hoping to start for the Three Lions against the beaten World Cup finalists in England's opening European Championships match on Sunday.
With Jordan Henderson not fit enough to play from the beginning, Gareth Southgate could turn to Phillips, who has started four of England's last five international matches.
Alternatively, Borussia Dortmund star Bellingham could play alongside Rice after a breakthrough season in the Bundesliga.
However, despite raving about the 17-year-old, Mourinho has admitted that Phillips is a more likely candidate to start against a strong Croatia outfit, as a more defensive option, and would get the nod if he was Southgate.
"In midfield, there is a player that I love but maybe I wouldn't play him in the first game, which is Bellingham," Mourinho told talkSPORT.
"I think he has fantastic potential. To play with Rice, I would say Bellingham is perfect but maybe, this first game, maybe Kalvin Phillips with Rice.
"Maybe. In here, I'd have doubts because Bellingham is the perfect second midfielder to play with a guy like Rice."
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Continuing his starting XI, after naming a defence of Henderson, Walker, Stones, Mings and Chilwell, Mourinho named Jack Grealish as 'untouchable'.
“I think Grealish is untouchable, and the best position for him is coming from the left, which creates a situation where, for me, Rashford can only play there.
“I think when he plays on the right he is completely lost. The dynamic with Rashford on the right, it is totally broken, he doesn’t find it. He is very good on the left at attacking space and I would see Harry (Kane) dropping and him attacking the space in behind.
“But Grealish, for me, is tremendous and what he creates and his personality – ‘give me the ball’ – he reminds me a little bit of Luis Figo.
“I don’t like making comparisons, especially with a Golden Ball winner, but Grealish reminds me of my Figo.
“Figo, I had him in different periods in my career but I had him in his last season as a player at Inter Milan and even in his last season he was like, ‘give me the ball and I will resolve the problems for you’.
“The way Grealish gets the ball and attacks people, gets fouls, gets penalties, he’s very powerful, I like him very much.”
