Leeds United star trio earn places in EFL Championship Team of the Season — YEP 14/4/24
A trio of Leeds United stars have been included in the EFL Championship Team of the Season.
By Graham Smyth
Crysencio Summerville, who has also been shortlisted for the
division’s Player of the Season award, has had a stellar campaign for Daniel
Farke’s Whites. His 17 goals and eight assists have been instrumental in
helping Leeds to drag themselves back into the automatic promotion race. And
though end product has been harder to come by in recent weeks, he routinely
holds the most danger for Leeds on the attack.
The Dutchman is joined in the representative side by
team-mates Ethan Ampadu and Georginio Rutter. Ampadu was brought to the club to
play in a defensive midfield role, but having been moved back to centre-back
due to injuries he formed a rock solid partnership alongside Welsh
international team-mate Joe Rodon. Farke also gave Ampadu the armband, with
club captain Liam Cooper not in the side, and to date the 23-year-old has
started each and every Championship game this season.
Rutter completes Leeds’ hat-trick in the team. After a
difficult start to life in English football last season Rutter has become an
important part of the furniture at Elland Road thanks to his creativity in a
number 10 role that he eventually made his own. The 21-year-old has found the
net six times but has added 17 assists for Farke’s men.
Crysencio Summerville has been crowned the 2023/24
Championship’s best player by the EFL.
Summerville, who was also named in the division’s Team of
the Season at the 2024 EFL Awards in London, beat his fellow shortlist nominees
Sammie Szmodics and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Blackburn man Szmodics was the match
winner at Elland Road on Saturday with his 24th league goal of the season,
while Dewsbury-Hall has been influential throughout the campaign for title
hopefuls Leicester City.
Leeds winger Summerville has scored 17 times in league
action and contributed a further eight assists, playing on the left for Farke’s
Whites in what is his first full campaign of regular senior football. The
Dutchman was joined by team-mates Ethan Ampadu and Georginio Rutter in the Team
of the Season. Teenager Archie Gray walked away with both the Championship
Young Player of the Season and Apprentice of the Season.
Summerville is delighted that his contentment to stay at
Leeds has brought such a reward. “I wasn't really thinking about going away,”
he told the YEP.. “We were very calm in the situation and at the end it was the
best decision for me so I'm very happy. I never really think about [awards].
It's very nice to win it, the recognition, I'm really happy with my team-mates,
the staff who help me enjoy the game. I hope we can get promoted with the
team.”
The Dutchman was full of praise too for the men he beat to
the award. “Sammie Szmodics, we played him on the weekend, he made his 30th
goal. Very great, his season has been great, very good goals, he's just a
killer. Dewsbury-Hall very good player as well in midfield for Leicester. I
want to wish them all the best for the rest of the season and may the best
win.” And he reserved a word of thanks for boss Daniel Farke for helping him to
increase his end product for Leeds. Summerville said: “He's been a great coach
for me on and off the pitch, speaks with me a lot, works with me a lot. I think
I really improved this season. On the pitch my finishing, my clinical finish,
my crosses. I'm very skillful but I think he improved me a lot with statistics
like goals and assists. I'm happy this season.”
Summerville and the Whites return to action a week on Monday
with a tricky away trip to Middlesbrough as the promotion race enters its final
stages.
