Hull, Middlesbrough and Sunderland may already be down, but here are the players who actually impressed this season.
Sunderland’s Wahbi Khazri looks dejected
Overall it has clearly not been a good season for the three sides relegated from the Premier League in 2016/17 – Hull City, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.
Yet not everything their players have done has been negative, so here is the relegation XI of those that have actually impressed in the division’s worst sides.
Jordan Pickford
An easy choice between the sticks, Pickford was initially only selected for the Black Cats after injury to Vito Mannone but his impressive shot stopping and distribution now sees him rated as one of England’s brightest, young talents.
Calum Chambers
After starting Arsenal’s 4-3 opening day defeat to Liverpool, Chambers was quickly sent out on-loan to Boro where at either right-back or in central defence he reminded everyone of why he was so highly rated at Southampton.
Harry Maguire
Hull may be down but this has been a year of redemption for Maguire, who was deemed not good enough when he originally signed for the Tigers in the Sky Bet Championship and is now being linked with an England call-up.
Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson applauds fans after the game
Ben Gibson
Another young English centre-back being touted with bigger and better things, Middlesbrough may have struggled in attack but they had the best defensive record in the bottom half, thanks largely to Gibson.
Andrew Robertson
Impressive for Hull when they were in the top flight in 2014/15 as well, Robertson has developed further since then and is now efficient either as a left-back or a more attacking wing-back.
Adama Traore
Previously on Barcelona’s books, Traore has now been relegated twice in successive years from the Premier League with Aston Villa and now Boro – but as a 21-year-old winger he still looks to have a bright future ahead of him.
Middlesbrough’s Marten de Roon celebrates scoring their first goal
Marten De Roon
Staying at the Riverside, another reason why Middlesbrough’s defence managed to concede less than all but the division’s top nine is by having a midfield enforcer like De Roon in front of them.
Sam Clucas
Previously thought of as a wide man, Clucas has switched more centrally for the Tigers since the appointment of Marco Silva as manager and he may well have done enough in that role to keep him in the top flight.
Lazar Markovic
The Liverpool loanee may have only shown what he is capable of in fits and starts, but two league goals in 12 appearances is not a bad return for a winger looking to establish his reputation again.
Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe
Only the second Sunderland player in the team – which is a reflection of how poor they have been – even at 34-years-old Defoe remains lethal in the box and scored 15 of his side’s 28 league goals.
Alvaro Negredo
Admittedly Boro’s struggles in attack have already been documented in this piece, but Negredo still showed his talent while on-loan from Valencia and was directly involved in just under half of all their 27 goals, with nine strikes and four assists.
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