An integral part of the modern game is that players retain the highest levels of fitness and endurance as feasibly possible, but what distance do these players actually cover over the course of a season?
The sheer intensity of the Premier League brings out the best in both teams and players alike, ensuring those out on the pitch are at the peak of their fitness and able to combine elite levels of strength, speed and endurance.
Despite complaints from the likes of Jürgen Klopp surrounding the brutal Premier League fixture list, some players have proven that the fierce scheduling does not affect their ability to put in the hard yards.
West Ham’s Tomas Soucek was nothing short of a revelation during the London club’s success in the 2020/21 season. His unparalleled work rate and box-to-box determination led him to cover a whopping 460,604.96 metres (286 miles), which was enough for him to be crowned the number one man for distance covered over the course of the season. His flourish of positivity was clearly felt around the London Stadium but it did not fail to also raise wider concerns about Soucek and other players’ ability to maintain such a stellar work rate without falling prone to injury.
Coming in close second for total distance covered was Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse, who ran a whopping 446,446 meters (277 miles) throughout the 2020/21 season. Ward-Prowse narrowly missed out on being included in England’s Euro 2020 squad – but could clearly never be accused of a lack of effort last term.
Ashley Westwood came in third with an impressive total of 429,786.11 metres while Stuart Dallas was fourth with 422,783.75 metres and Youri Tielemans completed the top five courtesy of a tally of 419,478.22 metres.
Without a doubt, these players laid down some breathtaking numbers in the 2020/21 season, but will they be able to maintain such marathon-like numbers as the new campaign gets underway?
Premier League distance covered: 2021/22 season | EPL
Players with the same amount of goals are ranked by fewer minutes played.
| Position | Player | Distance Covered (Metres) | Minutes Played |
| 1st | James Milner | 12652.37 | 90 |
| 2nd | Christian Nørgaard | 12455.86 | 90 |
| 3rd | Vitaly Janelt | 11840.97 | 90 |
| 4th | Billy Gilmour | 11786.44 | 90 |
| 5th | Pierre Lees-Melou | 11673.73 | 90 |
| 6th | Tomas Soucek | 11626.82 | 90 |
| 7th | Rúben Neves | 11547.5 | 90 |
| 8th | Pablo Fornals | 11546.92 | 90 |
| 9th | Lukas Rupp | 11533.62 | 90 |
| 10th | Miguel Almirón | 11455.15 | 90 |
READ MORE – PREMIER LEAGUE 2021/22 SEASON STATS LEADERS: