Gareth Southgate intends to maintain England’s bold attacking approach at the World Cup and has warned his defensive midfielders Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier that only one of them may start at the tournament.

Henderson, who will begin in a much changed lineup against Costa Rica at Elland Road on Thursday, and Dier are members of a five-strong leadership group alongside the captain Harry Kane, Fabian Delph and Ashley Young which has emerged recently under Southgate’s stewardship. Yet, with the manager keen to have two forward‑thinking players flanking a single midfield pivot, one of the relatively experienced pair is likely to step down when England begin their campaign against Tunisia in Volgograd.

Costa Rica team guide: tactics, key players and expert predictions Read more

“It’s a key decision, but that’s management,” said Southgate, who has adopted a 3-5-2 as a system of preference since qualification was secured. “You either select players or you choose your system and pick the best people to fit into it. They’re the tough calls. I’d be amazed if the two of them aren’t important figures during the tournament for us, but there is clearly the possibility they might not both play in every match. We have to look at that because I think we will only want to play with one pivot.”

England will seek to give as many of their squad as they can game-time against Costa Rica and are likely to make 10 changes from the Nigeria win, with Henderson, overlooked for the permanent captain’s role, potentially leading a team out containing five Yorkshiremen for the national side’s first visit to Elland Road since 2002.

The former Leeds youth-team players Danny Rose and Delph will start, while Harry Maguire will join Phil Jones in a back three. Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold will make his debut at right wing-back at some stage.

Southgate appears to be resisting the temptation to assess Kane and Jamie Vardy as a front pairing in a formal fixture, but the Leicester City forward will start, with Ruben Loftus‑Cheek expected to gain a fourth cap.

“There are some players who will play who we believe can definitely feature in the first game [in Russia],” said Southgate, “and others like Trent and Delph who we haven’t had on the pitch yet from the start and we’re really tempted to see. We do have different options, and we need that. Who knows what problem we might have to solve, or what defence we have to unpick? We have to be ready.

“But I sense belief growing within the group that they’re a team who are improving and are starting to see what’s possible for them. Talking to them individually after the game on Saturday [against Nigeria], they can see the things they are working on in training happening on the pitch. That’s giving them confidence.

“There is still improvement we need to make to go as far as they believe is possible, but that’s natural. We will be the third youngest team in the tournament, and the least experienced in terms of caps. They have to keep working, not satisfied with the level we’re at, and keep improving.”

The manager is convinced England can travel to the World Cup free of some of the weight of expectation that has affected previous selections at major finals, with a visit from the Royal Marines to St George’s Park having offered all a sense of proper perspective.

“Pressure is what you perceive it to be,” Southgate said. “What is it really? We are going to play football. We had some guys in from the Marines on Tuesday who had lost limbs in different situations. What is the pressure on us? We are going to play for England at a World Cup, the highlight of anyone’s career in football. It is fantastic.

Sign up to the Fiver, our free football email with a new World Cup edition.

“Of course there is scrutiny, but we don’t want to be involved in matches where there is no possibility of achieving history. You want to be in games that matter. Let’s enjoy the experience. The Marines we had in shared some brilliant and inspirational stories, and it had a big impact on the group. They’re very strong men. Two of them had suffered incredible injuries while serving, and another once he had returned, and yet a couple are running marathons or rowing the Atlantic. Impressive guys.”