Two Hull City stars feature in England's Euros 2024 best EFL XI

England's Euro 2024 campaign is well underway and has got off to a good start with a team made up of seven players who got their first senior start at an English Football League or National League club – nine if you include substitutes.

In fact, 19 of the 26 players selected by Gareth Southgate this summer made their breakthroughs at clubs playing at levels below the Premier League. Add in Tom Heaton, England’s 27th man, and that total rounds up to 20.

So who would line up for England in Germany this summer if Southgate went one step further and only selected his squad from the EFL based on performances from the 2023/24 season, and it includes Hull City representation?

READ MORE: Hull City closing in on Premier League clash with England stars set for MKM clash

Football-obsessed boffins at BonusCodeBets fed the data from the most recent season of EFL football into a supercomputer to crunch the numbers to name a starting XI and some suggestions for backups to complete the 26-man squad. Here are the results.

Goalkeeper: Carl Rushworth (Swansea City)

Brighton and Hove Albion’s on-loan goalkeeper Carl Rushworth has not only been one of the highest-performing goalkeepers in the Championship but also a reliable presence in and out of possession with the ball at his feet.

Rushworth has lived up to his name, getting off his line to intercept danger. Only Scotland number one Angus Gunn made more interceptions in the Championship for a goalkeeper while the Swansea shot-stopper topped the charts with the most dribbles (4).

He was also fourth for saves per 90 minutes (3.1) among his countrymen in the Championship and second for passes per 90 (42.7) – the ideal ELF option for a Southgate side wanting to play out from the back.

Backups: Bradley Collins (Coventry City), Ryan Allsop (Hull City)

Former Hull City stopper Allsop, who joined Birmingham City on Tuesday, ranked ahead of Rushworth for passes per 90 (50.9) while Collins had the most saves per 90 (3.6) of options who could be picked by Southgate.

Centre-backs: Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton) and Jacob Greaves (Hull City)

With 94.9 passes per 90, no English defender was more active in possession than Harwood-Bellis at centre-back in the 2023/24 season, with left-footed Jacob Greaves ranking third with 78.0 passes per 90. The Hull City centre-back was also third for tackles per 90 (1.8) at centre-back and the second-most fouled player in his position (1.2) among Englishmen. He was also second for headers won with 4.5 per 90. A great combination to stop opponents and build from the back.

Backups: Dan Ballard (Sunderland), Kyle Bartley (West Bromwich Albion)

Ballard and Bartley would offer more experience and ruggedness off the bench to mix things up in this EFL-only squad. The Sunderland stopper made 1.2 tackles per 90 last season while Bartley cleared the ball 3.5 times per 90.

Full-backs: Kyle Walker-Peters (Southampton) and Leif Davis (Ipswich Town)

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur right-back Kyle Walker-Peters has already shown what he can do for Southampton in the Premier League and was one of their standout players in their promotion-winning campaign in the Championship. The 27-year-old was second for dribbles per 90 (3.6) among full-backs, the second-most fouled full-back in the Championship (2.0) and only two players were dribbled past less per 90 (0.5). Ipswich Town left-back Leif Davis meanwhile created the most chances per 90 (3.0) in the Championship among full-backs. He also created the most assists in the Championship with 18.

Backups: Darnell Furlong (West Bromwich Albion), James Justin (Leicester City), Ethan Laird (Birmingham City)

With two attack-minded players lining up in the first XI, the backups offer some interesting options, as well as greater defensive solidity. After battling away for Birmingham City down the right flank all season, Laird topped the charts for most headers per 90 (4.8) and was the most fouled full-back in the Championship (fouled 2.1 times per 90). He also had the most interceptions among English full-backs (1.7) with Furlong just behind him on (1.6). The West Brom defender was also second among wide defenders for most shots blocked (0.6 per 90) while he and Justin were second and third for the fewest losses of possession per 90 (0.2 and 0.3, respectively).

Midfield: Ben Sheaf (Coventry City) and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester City)

Copying the current England formation, Ben Sheaf and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall snatch up the two midfield slots. No player in the Championship made more tackles per 90 than Sheaf (3.4) in the 2023/24 season, with the Coventry City anchorman taking up the Declan Rice role, while Dewsbury-Hall topped the charts for chances created among English central midfielders per 90 (2.5) and had the third-most assists in the competition with 14.

Backups: Jack Rudoni (Huddersfield Town) and Flynn Downes (Southampton)

Downes was one of the most prolific passers in the Championship last season with 73.9 passes per 90 while Rudoni can be something of a utility player popping up across midfield. He is also an excellent carrier of the ball, topping the charts for midfielders in the Championship with 3.3 dribbles per 90, and is no slouch defensively either with the third most headers per 90 (3.7).

Attacking midfield: Conor Chaplin (Ipswich Town)

With 13 goals and eight assists from midfield, Ipswich Town’s Conor Chaplin could be a game-changer between the lines for an English EFL team. He was also busy without the ball, ranking fifth for tackles per 90 (0.9) among attacking midfielders in the Championship, and third for interceptions (0.7).

Backups: Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City)

Despite being relegated, Stansfield scored 12 goals and set up two assists playing either up front or behind the main attacking line – a great option in the squad to challenge Chaplin or play up front.

Wingers: Jack Clarke (Sunderland) and Morgan Whittaker (Plymouth Argyle)

No player made more dribbles per 90 last season in the Championship than Jack Clarke (3.7) who also popped up with 15 goals and four assists. Morgan Whittaker on the other hand was a menace from the right flank for Plymouth Argyle, scoring 19 goals and providing eight assists. He also took the most shots per 90 in the English second tier with 3.6 per 90.

Backups: Isaiah Jones (Middlesbrough), Jonathan Rowe (Norwich City), Stephy Mavididi (Leicester City), Jaden Philogene (Hull City)

International football is all about having quality on the bench to shift the balance of games and to that end, the four backup options selected all offer something different. Philogene was second only to Whittaker for shots per 90 while scoring 12 goals and adding six assists along with making 2.7 dribbles per 90. Jones made the second-most tackles for wingers per 90 (2.3) while Rowe was fifth for fouls suffered (1.8) and Mavidid was top among English wingers for dribbles out wide (5.0).

Striker: Adam Armstrong (Southampton)

England’s highest scorer in the Championship last season, Adam Armstrong, gets the nod to start up front following his 24 goals and 13 assists. He actually underperformed his xG by 3.43 goals, showing the quality of the chances his movement helps him to pick up.

Backup: Patrick Bamford (Leeds United)

However, the Englishman with the highest xG per 90 was Leed United’s Bamford, with 0.67. He would also be a very different option to Armstrong, who is a pacy finisher that races off the shoulders of defenders, while Bamford’s greater size and hold-up play marks him out as a target man to bring on or rotate in and out to shift up the attack.

A spokesperson said: “With so many other nations drawing their talent from the English Football League, it’s clear how competitive a team made up of talent from outside the Premier League could be at Euro 2024 this summer.

“Adam Wharton is the latest example of a top performer from the second tier who has shown just how much quality exists below the topflight. Clubs in the market for reinforcements this summer are likely to find a bargain in the EFL than deal with the post-tournament Euro premiums that will be attached to deals.”