Declan Rice and Son Heung-min star in best Dream Team XI of players who feature in less than 10% of teams

THIS international break gives Dream Team managers time to reflect upon the season so far.

One aspect to consider is the players who have flown under the radar.

Here we’ve assembled the best possible XI, based on total points, made up of available individuals who currently feature in less than 10% of teams.

GOALKEEPER

• Andre Onana (7.4% ownership) – 156 pts

Many Dream Team bosses will be surprised to learn that only David Raya (£4.4m) and Emi Martinez (£3.9m) have more points than Manchester United’s last line of defence.

No goalkeeper has conceded more goals than Onana in all competitions after 28 Gameweeks but he ranks third for saves with 107.

Factor in nine clean sheets and the Cameroonian keeper has somehow cobbled together a respectable points tally, despite the Red Devils’ problems this season.

DEFENDERS

• Daniel Munoz (5.5%) – 230 pts
• Jurrien Timber (5.9%) – 191 pts
• Marc Guehi (9.2%) – 172 pts

The presence of two Crystal Palace regulars suggests too many gaffers have overlooked the Eagles this campaign.

That is certainly true of Munoz, who ranks second among all assets in his position having contributed five goals and six assists on top of 12 clean sheets.

The Colombian wing-back also ranks third among all players for tackles – he does it all!

Palace are due to face Fulham and Southampton in Gameweek 29 – Munoz surely deserves a popularity spike before the next deadline.

Timber’s relatively low ownership is down to the fact most gaffers will opt for Gabriel (£4.6m) or William Saliba (£4.5m) when they’re keen on an Arsenal defender, understandably so.

But the Dutchman is a perfectly viable option too as he’s now just four points shy of his French team-mate and 13 short of the Brazilian.

Timber makes more tackles than the Gunners’ first-choice centre-backs and earns more bonus points.

MIDFIELDERS

• Youri Tielemans (6.4%) – 221 pts
• Declan Rice (7.6%) – 216 pts
• Brennan Johnson (8.4%) – 208 pts
• Eberechi Eze (8.7%) – 205 pts
• Alexis Mac Allister (5.2%) – 204 pts

Morgan Rogers (£3.9m) has justifiably been one of Dream Team’s most popular midfielders this season but it’s interesting that Tielemans’ ownership has never reached double figures when he ranks joint-ninth in his position, just a shade below his widely-owned team-mate.

The Belgium international leads the way among all players for bonus points with 48 – only one other player, Ryan Gravenberch (£3.2m), has more than 40 at this juncture.

Generally speaking, attack-minded midfielders tend to perform better than their more defensive counterparts, which probably explains Rice’s relatively low ownership.

However, Arsenal’s No41 has registered 13 goal contributions, thanks in no small part to his set-pieces.

In fact, Rice’s well-directed corners have helped him create 23 big chances in 2024/25 – only Mohamed Salah (£8m) is above him in this metric.

Johnson remains Tottenham’s top scorer this term and he was previously among the most selected players in the game.

His ownership plummeted when he suffered an injury in January and is yet to recover.

Eze is the third Palace representative in this XI, underlining the South Londoners’ success since their upsurge in form a few months ago.

The England international averages 6.8 points-per-game.

His dribbling skill and ability to draw fouls has helped him gain 37 bonus points, a tally only bettered by five players.

Dream Team bosses have called upon Luis Diaz (£3.5m) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£4.3m) when in need of a Liverpool midfielder but those who have taken a punt on Mac Allister have been duly rewarded.

The World Cup winner ranks first for tackles among his team-mates and joint-second for bonus points, not to mention his 11 goal involvements.

STRIKERS

• Son Heung-min (9.7%) – 260 pts
• Cody Gakpo (6.2%) – 239 pts

The Spurs captain is the man with the most points who features in less than 10% of teams across all positions.

Son has not always been at his best this season but it’s a measure of his pedigree that he ranks seventh overall having scored 11 goals and provided 14 assists in all competitions.

The South Korean superstar might be an excellent option in April, when Ange Postecoglou’s side will face Southampton and Wolves around two Europa League quarter-final legs against Frankfurt.

Last but not least, it’s Gakpo, who boasted a much higher ownership before his ill-timed injury at the end of February.

Salah has been an essential asset from the get-go but there have been times when doubling up on Liverpool forwards has yielded plentiful returns.

Gakpo has scored 16 goals this season, a tally only bettered by four players.

The Dutchman came off the bench against PSG and Newcastle and is therefore in contention to start against Everton after the international break.

However, Liverpool assets are not as viable as they were following their elimination from the FA Cup and Champions League.

Here’s the team in full…

• Andre Onana

• Daniel Munoz
• Jurrien Timber
• Marc Guehi

• Youri Tielemans
• Declan Rice
• Brennan Johnson
• Eberechi Eze
• Alexis Mac Allister

• Son Heung-min
• Cody Gakpo

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