2. Lynden Gooch – Sunderland
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Fastest Sprint - 35.19 km/h
Lynden Who?
Don't worry, you wouldn't be the first person to ask that question this season, and you most certainly won't be the last. Handed his Premier league debut by that noted advocate of youth in football (you, at the back, stop sniggering! Ever heard of a certain Wayne Rooney?)
Praised for his “dynamic versatility and calmness” by team USA's head coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, the American is fast, fearless and direct with the ball at his feet. Tipped for great things, Gooch has already played 5 matches for Sunderland and has impressed despite the mediocrity around him.
What is it with these Americans and speed, eh? He's the second fastest man playing football in the top division in England.
1. Shane Long – Southampton
Fastest Sprint - 35.31 km/h
The very definition of a tireless runner – the Irishman is the perfect teammate, making selfless runs down the channels all day, keeping defenders on their toes all the time. Combine this stamina with speed – a most elusive combination, that – and you have a defenders nightmare.
He's always been a handful, and while he hasn't notched his mark in the goalscoring charts yet this season – it's a given that if Long plays well, Southampton generally tend to do so as well. And it's his speed that is his biggest weapon
He's been clocked at 35.31 km/h this season, making the fastest of the 500 professional football players who call the English Premier League, their home.
P.S. To put this into perspective (and just to show you how fast that Jamaican speed demon is), Usain Bolt's fastest recorded speed is just a shade below 45 km/h.
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