What the best combined Leeds United, Sheffield United and Burnley XI would look like - Burrows dropped | OneFootball

FLW has picked out an XI based on the top three's standout performers

Leeds United, Burnley and Sheffield United have been, by far and away, the standout sides across the 2024/25 Championship season.

Plenty of big-name players have been on show for the Whites, Clarets and Blades in a three-way promotion race which lasted the majority of the season, before Daniel Farke and Scott Parker's sides confirmed their place back in the Premier League after Chris Wilder's men were defeated 2-1 at Turf Moor on Easter Monday.

The South Yorkshire outfit are now preparing to break the club's long-standing play-off curse, whilst Leeds and Burnley go toe-to-toe for the title, as well as potentially becoming the first sides in English football history to accumulate 100 points in the same division.

With that in mind, Football League World have picked the strongest combined XI between the three clubs as the regular second-tier season reaches its conclusion.

GK: James Trafford

The goalkeeping position was never in doubt, as James Trafford has enjoyed a record-breaking season between the sticks at Turf Moor.

Sir Alex Ferguson once stated "attack wins you games, defence wins you titles". And, whilst the second-tier trophy may not be heading for East Lancashire, the 22-year-old couldn't have dreamed up a better nine months after initially struggling to pin down the number one spot following his move from Manchester City.

Trafford has featured in all but one of Burnley's league games, keeping 29 clean sheets, including a 1,132-minute spell without conceding between late December and early March, in which a 12-game record streak was set for consecutive clean sheets.

It's no surprise why Alan Pace has set a minimum £30m price-tag on the Cumbrian's head amid strong interest from Newcastle United throughout the course of the season, where he has also prevented the most goals of any keeper in the league.

RB: Jayden Bogle

Jayden Bogle has been one of the Championship's best-performing right-backs in recent times, and the 24-year-old has continued to excel after swapping Bramall Lane for Elland Road.

Over the course of the season, the defender has racked up double figures in terms of goal contributions and big chances created, and has also rarely been beaten when it comes to battling it out against opposition wingers.

Bogle already has a half-century of Premier League games under his belt, and being under contract with the Whites until 2028, there is hope that the former England youth international can continue to reach his peak potential and see Leeds return to their former standpoint within the country's elite 20 sides.

CB: CJ Egan-Riley

Given Burnley's defensive exploits, the centre-back pairing could only begin with CJ Egan-Riley, who has proven his worth in a stellar breakthrough campaign under Parker after enduring a mixed two-season spell under Vincent Kompany.

The 22-year-old and his colleagues within the rearguard have been as key as the aforementioned Trafford when it comes to maintaining such high standards and breaking a plethora of records which has allowed the side to go unbeaten for a large proportion of the campaign.

After putting up an array of impressive defensive metrics, it will no doubt be frustrating for the Turf Moor faithful that the former Man City academy graduate could be lost on a free transfer, despite the England Under-21 international previously stating that he would like to remain at the club.

West Ham are the side who have been linked the strongest with his services, with recent reports stating that the East London side have continued to hold talks over a potential move to the London Stadium with his contract expiring at the season's end.

CB: Maxime Esteve

Unsurprisingly, the other centre-back also dons Claret and Blue in the form of Maxime Esteve.

'Steve' as he has become known by Burnley supporters, is yet another key reason behind the defensive success enjoyed by Parker's men, which has led to long-standing transfer speculation from clubs such as Crystal Palace, Everton and AC Milan since the turn of the year.

Such interest led to a price tag in excess of £30m being put in place, with the Frenchman arguably the division's most impressive centre-back, constantly coming out on top in battles against some of the Championship's most prolific strikers.

The former Montpellier man put in plenty of reasonable performances during his first half-season of Premier League football last term, and is now returning to the top-flight as a much more complete defender. Even if it isn't for the East Lancashire side, the 22-year-old will no doubt continue to be tipped to reach higher echelons if his performance levels continue in such a high manner, with his career still very much in its infancy.

LB: Junior Firpo

The left-back slot in this team is one bound to cause plenty of debate, with Harrison Burrows recently given the nod in the EFL's Team of the Season. However, in this combined XI, Leeds' Junior Firpo has edged out the former Peterborough man, who has still performed beyond admirably throughout the campaign.

The Dominican international has stuck by United in their two years outside the Premier League, despite clearly having the ability, pedigree and potential to have featured in a top division, which is something he is set to do, although potentially not in yellow, white and blue.

At 28 years of age, Firpo's contract at Elland Road is set to expire in the coming weeks, with the left-back recently spelling out his desire to return to Real Betis at some stage in his career, with 'Los Verdiblancos' heavily linked with his services on a free transfer this off-season.

Regardless, if it is to be the end of the former Barcelona man's time in the north of England, it has been a great season for the full-back, who has accumulated double figures in assists and popped up with crucial goals against Sheffield United and Sunderland in particular.

CM: Josh Brownhill

It still remains to be seen whether Josh Brownhill will remain a Burnley player heading into next season. But, if the captain doesn't extend his lengthy stay in East Lancashire, it has been a farewell campaign to remember for the box-to-box midfielder.

Despite earning promotion, the Clarets have lacked clinical instinct from out-and-out centre-forwards, with the 29-year-old stepping up to the plate on the goalscoring front in exceptional fashion with 16 goals - including the promotion-clincher against the Blades - as well as being a prominent figure on the assist count alongside Jaidon Anthony.

And, just like with Egan-Riley, West Ham are looking to capitalise on contract uncertainty surrounding the club's top scorer, with GIVEMESPORT stating that Graham Potter's men are preparing an offer should Brownhill decline any forthcoming fresh terms from the North West side.

CM: Ao Tanaka

Whilst Leeds haven't been afraid to splash the cash throughout their two-season stint back in the Championship, the signing of Ao Tanaka from Fortuna Düsseldorf has been the club's bargain deal of said timeframe, joining for just £2.9m after three years in Germany.

The Japanese midfielder has taken to English football like a duck to water, oozing class in an area filled with quality within Farke's squad with an abundance of stunning goal contributions that have aided his side's title bid.

Tanaka has also shown that he can do the so-called 'dirty-work' to a top standard alongside the likes of Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev as the German boss continues to utilise a style in which his players showcase a relentless nature, winning the ball high up the pitch before quickly moving it forward to a formidable front line - more on that later!

CM: Gustavo Hamer

The only Blades man to feature in this lineup is the Championship Player of the Season, Gustavo Hamer.

After emerging as one of very few bright sparks in last year's dismal Premier League showing in S2, Wilder was able to retain the services of his star man, who was also integral in Coventry City's promotion bid under Mark Robins back in 2023.

It is up for debate whether the 27-year-old was the deserved winner of the aforementioned accolade. But, what no one can argue with is that, this season, the Dutch-Brazilian has continuously performed at the top of his game, which helped the Blades immediately wipe out their two-point deduction before becoming one of the front-runners for promotion until a poor run of form in April.

Hamer has now accumulated double figures in all of his past four seasons, and his technical ability means that United's hopes of a successful play-off campaign could hinge on what he is able to provide for the likes of Tyrese Campbell, Rhian Brewster, Ben Brereton Diaz and Tom Cannon, or if we are to see more magical strikes such as his 25-yard free-kick against the Sky Blues back in March

RW: Dan James

The first name of an all-Leeds attacking trio is Dan James, who has been in inspired form yet again after impressing in the club's failed promotion bid 12 months ago.

The Welsh international racked up 20 goal contributions in 43 regular season and play-off games as his team were eventually defeated by Southampton at Wembley Stadium.

And, despite sustaining an injury as the current campaign reaches its conclusion, the former Manchester United man has already gone one better with a total of 12 goals and nine assists, although he will clearly be gutted to not have been able to add to this tally even further.

James has made over 100 Premier League appearances in his career so far, and the winger will hope to build on two seasons in which his confidence and dynamism have been fully restored and, in doing so, prove that he belongs at the top level at the same time as his country looks to qualify for back-to-back FIFA World Cup tournaments.

LW: Manor Solomon

It felt a tough ask for Farke to replace the services of Crysencio Summerville last summer. However, the loan acquisition of Manor Solomon from Tottenham Hotspur has been yet another inspired piece of business in West Yorkshire.

The Israeli winger has been integral to United's remarkable goalscoring feats this term, with the side by far and away the highest scorers in the Championship, surpassing the 90-goal mark in the recent 4-0 demolition of Bristol City.

Solomon has become the 'assist king' for Leeds this term, leading the way on this particular front ahead of the aforementioned Firpo, with the duo forming a lethal creative combination on the left flank. He has also hit two purple patches at defining points of the season, which includes a recent run of seven goal contributions in five games as the Whites secured their return to the top-flight.

His current G+A tally also matches that of the aforementioned James, with the wide duo responsible for almost two-thirds of the club's attacking output.

Unsurprisingly, the former Shakhtar Donetsk man has recently been tipped to become the club's first permanent signing of a crucial summer transfer window, with TEAMtalk reporting that United would have to part with a sum of between £15-20m as the 43-time international still has three years of his contract in North London yet to run.