Premier League: 10 fastest speeds in 2023-24 including Hojlund, Garnacho & Adama Traore | OneFootball

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Rasmus Hojlund has played less than 30 minutes of competitive football for Manchester United, but has already cemented himself as the fastest player in the entire team so far this season.

His sole appearance to this point came against Arsenal before the international break - a game in which the young Danish striker was introduced in the second half to replace Anthony Martial. His fastest sprint recorded in that match was faster than any sprint made by his new teammates, most of whom have played in all four games this season.

There is one man in the Red Devils' squad that came very close to this speed during a game against Tottenham, the other defeat of the season alongside the 3-1 loss at the Emirates. Marcus Rashford is considered to be a rapid player, but the English forward has not actually registered one of the 10 fastest runs in the 2023/24 season so far. With that being said, we take a look at the eight fastest players in the Premier League so far this season, with the data coming from the official Premier League website.

8 Pedro Neto (34.82 km/h & 34.84 km/h)

The Portuguese winger has recorded the tenth and ninth-quickest sprints in the top flight so far this campaign with both coming in separate games. Against Hojlund's Manchester United, Neto reached a top speed of 34.84 km/h as Wolves ran through the opposition midfield at will during that encounter.

He is yet to find the back of the net this season, but it goes to show that Neto can be a real thorn in the side of opposing defenders with his pace, as that sprint against United was fractionally quicker than the 34.82 km/h time he clocked against Crystal Palace.

7 Anthony Elanga (34.88 km/h)

It will have become apparent to those that were previously unaware: Elanga is rapid. This has been very noticeable during Nottingham Forest counter-attacks against Arsenal and Chelsea. An opening day debut at the Emirates saw the Swedish youngster break swiftly to set up a consolation goal for Taiwo Awoniyi while he grabbed a goal of his own at Stamford Bridge in the most recent fixture after using his speed to get away from the Chelsea back line.

Elanga's top speed wasn't even in either of these fixtures, however, with a 34.88 km/h sprint speed recorded during Forest's 2-1 home win over Sheffield United. In another world, we could have seen the 21-year-old forming a rapid partnership with Hojlund at Old Trafford this season.

6 Ameen Al Dakhil (34.97 km/h)

Al Dakhil is a versatile defender that plays for Burnley, as he can be deployed at both centre-back and left-back. He has been used predominantly in the latter position so far this season as the Clarets have struggled to get to grips with Premier League football. As Vincent Kompany likes his team to play expansive and attacking football for the most part, having a defender with such speed on the recovery is always a valuable asset to have.

The Belgian international is actually the fastest defender in the 2023/24 season thus far as his 34.97 km/h sprint against Manchester City is faster than any other defensive player in the division, including Kyle Walker, who was on the opposing side in that game.

5 Alejandro Garnacho (35.01 km/h)

Behind Hojlund, the Argentine wonderkid is the second-quickest United player with his fastest burst this season coming in at 35.01 km/h in the aforementioned defeat against Tottenham. Garnacho could form part of the fastest front three in the league alongside Hojlund and Rashford, particularly with the issues Erik ten Hag faces in the right-wing position going forward.

Defences will have to be wary of having such a rapid trio running at them and looking to exploit any open space left for them. Garnacho is expected to go on to big things with more and more first-team minutes likely to come his way during this campaign. He thought his electric pace had actually won United's match with Arsenal as he raced beyond the Gunners' back-line and finished past Aaron Ramsdale. Unfortunately, he had made his run fractionally early and VAR ruled the goal out for offside, but it is a big warning for opposing defenders going forward.

4 Rasmus Hojlund (35.45 km/h)

Danish prospect Hojlund was brought to Manchester United with huge expectations placed on his shoulders as the price tag could rise to £72 million if add-ons are achieved. It was a disappointing start as he was already injured when he arrived at Old Trafford, meaning he missed out on the first three league games. His 23-minute cameo against Arsenal showed signs of promise as his pace and power caused problems for Gabriel in particular.

35.45 km/h is the fastest he moved in the clash at the Emirates, so it's no wonder that the Arsenal defenders were struggling to cope with the threat posed by the 20-year-old. A home debut could be set to take place in the upcoming game against Brighton, and all eyes will be on Hojlund to impress and get his team's season going in the right direction.

3 Adama Traore (35.55 km/h)

Arsenal fans have been witness to some frightening pace so far this term, with Traore also racking up his fastest sprint against Mikel Arteta's men. His burst of pace to get past William Saliba - who is no slouch himself - was terrifying as the Spanish winger almost stole all three points for his side.

It has been a well-known fact over the past years that the former Wolves man possesses incredible pace which makes his intimidating physique even more difficult to play against. While the end product often isn't there, a top speed of 35.55 km/h is only bettered by two players in the league.

2 Anthony Gordon (35.63 km/h & 35.67 km/h)

In a similar vein to Neto, the Newcastle wide man has recorded two sprints that make it into the top 10 for any player in the opening four games of the 2023/24 season. His 35.67 km/h burst against Manchester City is the second-fastest speed clocked in the entire division to this point. Gordon has been impressive in Eddie Howe's side after struggling in the latter stages of the previous season.

An opening day thrashing of Aston Villa also saw the former Everton man display his incredible speed with a 35.67 km/h run, which is only marginally slower than the City sprint. He was a key man in that demolition of Villa as the Magpies continually used their pace in behind the high-line of their opponents.

1 Dominic Solanke (36.10 km/h)

Perhaps the most surprising name to make the list is the player to have made the fastest sprint of any in the Premier League so far. Solanke is the main man upfront for Bournemouth under new boss Andoni Iraola after competing with Kieffer Moore for a starting spot last season. While he is more known as a strong player with great hold-up play, it is obvious that the English striker also has an impressive burst of pace in him.

He is the only man to break the 36 km/h mark as he hit a top speed of 36.10 km/h against Tottenham at the Vitality Stadium. The Cherries will expect to surrender possession for the majority of their games this season meaning having a number nine with such pace could hold them in good stead when looking to counter attack.