Leeds United scoop double at alternative EFL Awards with trio in team of the year

The actual EFL Awards were due to be held on Sunday evening but the global fight against coronavirus put paid to that plan.

Instead, The Sun's Justin Allen picked out his own winners with United head coach Marcelo Bielsa selected as the Championship manager of the season and Whites midfielder Kalvin Phillips taking the player of the season gong.

In addition, three Leeds players made The Sun's Championship team of the season in Ben White, Luke Ayling and Kalvin Phillips.

Hailing the talents of Phillips, Allen said: "The boyhood Leeds fan is the heartbeat of Marcelo Bielsa’s promotion-chasing team.

"England boss Gareth Southgate went to watch him in January with an eye on the Euros.

"There is no doubt that Phillips, 24, is the best midfielder outside the Premier League.

"And while he is seen as a Yorkshire hard-man on the pitch, he’s a big Northern Softie off it.

"Phillips was named the club’s Community Player of the Season for a third consecutive year after making more appearances than any other and forming a bond with six-year-old Leeds fan Sarah Emmott, who has a rare kidney disease."

Turning his attention to Bielsa, Allen said: "It's not hard to see why the likes of Pep Guardiola have been inspired by him.

"His team is the fittest and most intense, hungry, hard-working, attack-minded, possession-dominating side I’ve ever seen in the Championship.

"Bielsa likes to keep a distance from the players, preferring to oversee a team of coaches, but he is still affectionately labeled “Grandpa” by his stars.

"The Argentine shows tremendous faith in his players. When there have been wobbles and a loss of form, he has stuck to his guns... keeping faith in players, like striker Patrick Bamford, despite heavy criticism."

Elsewhere, Birmingham City teen Jude Bellingham was selected as the EFL's young player of the season with Barnsley's Cauley Woodrow taking the goal of the season accolade for his strike against Charlton Athletic back in August.

As part of a 4-3-3, the Championship team of the season was selected as: Samba (Forest); Cash (Forest), White (Leeds), Ajayi (West Brom), Ayling (Leeds); Sawyers (West Brom), Phillips (Leeds), Pereira (West Brom); Benrahma (Brentford), Mitrovic (Fulham), Watkins (Brentford).