Noel Whelan has claimed that Aston Villa have the best squad in the Sky Bet Championship and has named three of their reserve players who he believes are good enough get into Leeds United's starting XI.

Villa extended their unbeaten run to twelve matches in the Championship at the weekend with a 1-1 draw at Elland Road, ending Leeds' automatic promotion hopes in the process.

Both teams are already guaranteed to finish the season in the play-off places, where they could face each other again in a few weeks time.

The match at Elland Road brought an end to Villa's remarkable ten-match winning run, which has seen key players like Jack Grealish and Tyrone Mings play an important role for the team.

Alan Hutton, Albert Adomah and Glenn Whelan are three players who have also played their part for Villa this season, with all three of them making over 30 appearances in the Championship.

The trio started the game at Elland Road on the bench for Villa, but former Leeds striker Whelan believes they are all good enough to get into Marcelo Bielsa's starting XI.

"They have the best squad in the Championship, there’s no doubt about that and they are a dangerous side who everyone will want to avoid in the play-offs,” Whelan told Football Insider.

“They are a great outfit. When you look at their squad and the players on the bench at Elland Road – Hutton, Adomah, Whelan, they would walk into the Leeds starting XI.”

The Verdict:

Villa have got a very strong squad, maybe the strongest in the Championship.

Whelan is right that no team will fancy playing Villa in the play-offs, either in the semi-finals or the final.

Given how well Leeds have performed this season, it is a strong claim to suggest that the three Villa players are good enough to get into the Whites' starting XI, but they are three good players who have all played an important role for Villa this season.