Leeds United duo alongside Leicester City, Ipswich Town stars in Championship XI of the season so far | OneFootball

Leeds United duo Joel Piroe and Georginio Rutter.

Eight games is more than enough to justify a Championship XI of the season that is *unsurprisingly* dominated by Leeds United, Leicester City and Ipswich Town players.

This XI is based on WhoScored‘s player ratings…

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GK: Vaclav Hladky (Ipswich Town) Ipswich were dealt a blow just before the new campaign started as last season’s number-one goalkeeper – Christian Walton – suffered an injury that will supposedly keep him out for “quite a while”.

Thankfully for Kieran McKenna, 32-year-old Hladky has slotted in nicely for the high-flyers and has kept four clean sheets in eight games.

RB: Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City) This current Leicester City squad includes several players who are ‘too good for the Championship’ and the Portugal international is certainly one of them.

The 29-year-old’s game time has been restricted by injuries in recent years but he – having captained the Foxes for a few games already this term – is trusted by Enzo Maresca and the defender is currently repaying his manager’s faith.

Ricardo Pereira in action for Leicester City.

CB: Liam Lindsay (Preston) Ryan Lowe’s side have been a major early-season surprise package as they have overcome unflattering xG statistics to make an unbeaten start to the new campaign (six wins and two draws).

Preston are a solid second tier outfit that takes pride in their defensive solidity, so it’s no great surprise to see one of their defenders make the cut.

CB: Shaun Hutchinson (Millwall) Just as Preston are known for being difficult to break down, the same can be said for Millwall, who are represented here by their experienced club captain. He has missed recent games through injury and their hopes of *finally* getting into the play-offs would be boosted if he makes a speedy return.

LB: Leif Davis (Ipswich Town) Ipswich pulled off a major coup when they snatched Davis from fellow Championship side Leeds United for around £1m and the 23-year-old has been loving life at Portman Road.

After being named in last season’s League One Team of the Season, the full-back – like his talented team – have enjoyed a dream start following his return to the Championship.

RM: Morgan Whittaker (Plymouth Argyle) Newly-promoted Plymouth pushed the boat out this summer and spent around £2m combined to sign Whittaker and Bali Mumba from Swansea City and Norwich City respectively.

This level of investment could have easily gone awry but the Plymouth newbies have fitted in right away to contribute to their strong start under Steven Schumacher. Whittaker in particular is an early contender for signing of the season after grabbing four goals and three assists in eight games.

CM: Gabriel Sara (Norwich City) The Canaries splashed out £6m to snatch Sara from Brazilian outfit Sao Paulo last summer and he was one of their few standout performers in what was a disappointing campaign in 2022/23.

Sara has carried on where he left off from last term, with the deep-lying playmaker involved in a goal every two games. He’s on for quite a season if this rate continues.

CM: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester City) Having previously shone for Luton Town at this level, Dewsbury-Hall was expected to fire Leicester to promotion this season and he looks on track to do just that. Five goal involvements in eight outings is a great return for a player who has successfully stepped out from under the shadow of James Maddison and Harvey Barnes.

LM: Jack Clarke (Sunderland) The former Tottenham and Leeds player can consider himself unlucky that he is not currently playing in the Premier League after he was one of the best players in the Championship last season.

Linked with Burnley and Crystal Palace in the summer, Clarke has not let those failed moves get him down and has kicked on in the early weeks of this season. His goal in Friday night’s 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday took his tally to seven in nine games. Sunderland look set to make a fortune on the winger in January.

ST: Georginio Rutter (Leeds United) A few eyebrows were raised when Leeds United splashed out £36m (add-ons included) to sign Rutter from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in January.

Rutter endured a miserable few months at Elland Road but the 21-year-old is now starting to show why Leeds chose to bring him in. He has already produced a couple of star-making performances this term and he is fast becoming a fan favourite. A lot can change in a few months.

ST: Joel Piroe (Leeds United) The West Yorkshire outfit have swiftly hit their stride under Championship specialist Daniel Farke, with Rutter and Piroe’s blossoming partnership striking fear into their opponents.

Regular watchers of the Championship will have tipped Piroe to impress at Leeds and he’s taken no time to hit the ground running. The £10m summer signing has four goals in five games and he will be difficult to stop in the race for the division’s Golden Boot award.