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The English Premier League is the richest football league on the planet and is also renowned for its physical style of play.
There are no barometers, though, to measure the physicality quotient, which is why the Premier League being the toughest and most demanding league in the world is generally a subjective perception.
However, the pace of football in the Premier League can be relentless. With fans going gaga over rivetting end-to-end action, teams are required to have fast players who can shift the game from one end to the other in no time. For that reason, many technically-gifted players have struggled to adapt to the Premier League.
Ten fastest players in the Premier League
Nevertheless, the Premier League has been graced by some of the most skilful players to have ever played the game of football. But owing to its fast-paced nature, the Premier League, unsurprisingly, features a bevvy of fast players who may not look out of place in athletics competitions like the 100-metre race.
On that note, let us have a look at the ten fastest players in the Premier League.
#10: Phil Foden (Manchester City) - 23.07mph
20-year-old Phil Foden started his professional career with Manchester City in the summer of 2016 but only came into his own last season when he scored eight goals in a career-best 38 appearances in all competitions for the Cityzens.
The left-footed midfielder is renowned for his versatility that allows him to be deployed in a plethora of positions such as wing-back or right-midfield.
Foden, who is widely tipped to take over the role of club-legend David Silva, was clocked at 23.07 mph in a Premier League game against Aston Villa in October last year.
#9: Fred (Manchester United) - 23.17mph
The Brazilian Fred arrived in the Premier League in the summer of 2018. Manchester United acquired the services of the three-time Ukrainian League winner from Shakhtar Donetsk to bolster their midfield.
The 27-year-old played a whopping 48 games in all competitions last season while mostly featuring in a deep-lying central midfield role.
He is comfortable with both feet and has an impressive forward contribution. Fred is also renowned for his physicality and speed. He averaged 2.9 tackles per game while playing for Shakhtar. In United colours, the Brazilian was timed at 23.17mph in a Premier League game against Everton in December last year.
#8: Shane Long (Southampton) - 23.21mph
Southampton's Shane Long is a veteran of the Premier League, having featured in over 300 games in the competition for three different clubs.
However, goals have been hard to come by for the Irish striker who has played in 13 different Premier League seasons but has scored ten goals in a season only once.
Nevertheless, opposition teams have a tough time catching Long who is renowned for his pace. Only three seasons ago, the Irishman was the Premier League's fastest player.
Three years later, his pace may have dropped a bit, but in a Premier League game against Newcastle last year, Long was clocked at 23.21mph.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the Irishman holds the record of scoring the fastest goal in Premier League history.
#7: Ainsley-Maitland Niles (Arsenal) - 23.27mph
Ainsley-Maitland Niles has scored only once in 53 Premier League games across five different seasons for Arsenal.
The Englishman, who was played in defence by Unai Emery, prefers to be deployed in midfield. However, Maitland Niles is renowned for his speed, even if versatility is not yet his forte.
During a Premier League game against Manchester City last year, the player was timed at 23.27mph.
#6: Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester City) - 23.33mph
Caglar Soyuncu arrived in the Premier League to play for Leicester City in the summer of 2018 after a two-season stint with Freiburg in the Bundesliga.
The Turkish centre-back played a key role in Leicester City's league campaign last season as they narrowly missed out on a Champions League place by losing to Manchester United on the last day of the season.
Soyuncu is renowned for his playmaking abilities, dribbling skills and pace. The 24-year-old provided a blistering demonstration of his pace when he was timed at 23.33mph in a Premier League game against Crystal Palace in November last year.
#5: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United) - 23.36mph
After making his professional debut with Crystal Palace, where he impressed with his tackling prowess, Aaron Wan-Bissaka arrived at Manchester United at the start of last season and hit the ground running.
The 22-year-old right-back played all but three of his team's league games as Manchester United finished a creditable third after a slow start to the season.
Known for taking no prisoners with his 'thunderous' tackles, Wan-Bissaka is also renowned for his pace; he had started out as a winger before finding himself as a right-back.
In a Premier League game against West Ham in November last year, the Englishman of Congolese descent was clocked at a blistering 23.36mph.
#4: Trezeguet (Aston Villa) - 23.36mph
Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim Hassan, more commonly known as Trezeguet for his goalscoring prowess and facial similarity with French striker David Trezeguet, arrived in the Premier League in the summer of 2019.
Trezeguet's arrival was warmly welcomed by his Premier League club Aston Villa's manager Dean Smith who eulogised the player for his wide play.
“We’re really excited to work with ‘Trez’. I’ve watched him a number of times. He’s the type of wide player that we have been looking for who is direct, causes problems for the opposition in the final third and scores goals,” Smith said.
Trezeguet, who had previously played in Egypt, Belgium and Turkey, turned out 33 times for Aston Villa last season as the club managed to narrowly stave off relegation on the final day of the season.
The winger, who became the first Egyptian player to score for Villa, provided an ample demonstration of his pace when he clocked 23.36mph against Premier League champions Liverpool in July this year.
#3: Mason Greenwood (Manchester United) - 23.36mph
18-year-old English forward Mason Greenwood made his Premier League debut with Manchester United in 2018, but it was only last season when he was given a long rope in the competition.
The two-footed Greenwood, known for his blistering pace, initially started out as a winger before transitioning to a centre-forward.
Greenwood scored ten goals in the Premier League last season to become the youngest Manchester United player to register a double-digit goal tally in an English top-flight season.
During this period, the player registered a speed of 23.36mph against Everton in a Premier League game against Everton in March just before the COVID-19 outbreak.
#2: Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
24-year-old Spanish winger Adama Traore arrived in the Premier League in the summer of 2015 when he joined Aston Villa, but it was only at Wolverhampton Wanderers, more commonly known as Wolves, where he really found his footing.
Traore, who was compared with both Messi and Ronaldo by former Villa manager Tim Sherwood, is renowned for his physical style of play, acceleration and ball-control.
The winger was timed at 23.48mph in Wolves' Premier League game against Chelsea in July earlier this year.
#1: Kyle Walker (Manchester City) - 23.49mph
Former Tottenham Hotspur right-back Kyle Walker, who now plies his trade with Manchester City, is a Premier League veteran, having played in 13 seasons of the competition.
The 30-year-old was recently in the news for the wrong reasons when he was sent off in England's 2020-21 UEFA Nations League opener last week.
Renowned for his direct runs and physicality, Walker blossomed into a more complete player under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola at City after leaving Spurs in the summer of 2017.
In a Premier League game against Chelsea in June earlier this year, Kyle Walker was timed at a blistering 23.49mph, which made him the fastest player in the Premier League last season.
