Who’s the Premier League’s hardest-working player right now? Top 10 by distance covered | OneFootball

The 2024/25 Premier League season is still young but which players have covered the most ground so far?

Collectively last season, relegation-battling teams clocked up the most distance (Everton and Burnley) while the energy and workrate of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal put them third for Opta’s distance covered metric and not far off the Premier League title.

Player-wise, central midfielders typically churn out the most mileage. Arsenal had Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in the top 10 for distance covered, while Man City lynchpin Rodri came in 10th.

It’s still early days with only three games played, but which Premier League players are looking the fittest so far?

10. Bruno Guimaraes

Club: Newcastle United

Distance covered: 32.6 km

Bruno Guimaraes covered more distance than any other player in the Premier League last season, clocking up a massive 423.1 km; just a small reason why he’s such a fan favourite at St. James’ Park. The relentless Brazilian looks set to be among the hardest-working players again this time around, coming in at 10th so far with 32.6 km behind him already.

9. Youri Tielemans

Unai Emery sets a high standard, with Youri Tielemans one of two Aston Villa players in the top 10. It’s interesting to see the Belgian here considering he was sometimes criticised for lacking physicality or work rate at Leicester. But Tielemans has an underrated engine and is putting it to good use as he seeks to help Villa break into the top four again this season.

8. Morgan Rogers

Our second Villa player sneaks in at just 0.1 km ahead of Tielemans. Morgan Rogers is widely expected to cash in on his potential and flourish this season and while he is yet to score or assist in three games, he’s certainly putting in the hard yards. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work, as the old saying goes. Luckily, Rogers has both qualities in abundance.

7. Marcus Tavernier

Two of Bournemouth’s three Premier League games so far have been away from home, so it’s no surprise to see them in the bottom half in terms of average possession (46.3%). Exciting winger Marcus Tavernier has led the charge when it comes to winning the ball back and closing down the opposition, sitting level with Villa star Rogers on 33 km so far.

6. Enzo Fernandez

You only have to listen to one or two Enzo Maresca press conferences to realise what sort of demands he puts on his players. With that in mind, it’s maybe a bit of a surprise to see Enzo Fernandez as their only player in the top 10 here, with 33.2 km covered so far. That’s an impressive figure from the Argentine, who is sure to be joined in the top 10 by a teammate or two soon.

5. Alexis Mac Allister

Fernandez isn’t the only Argentine midfielder chewing up the grass this season, with Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister sitting 0.4 km ahead of him. Mac Allister is playing slightly further forward under Arne Slot but if anything, that’s only seeing him work even harder for the Reds.

4. Dominik Szoboszlai

You can take Jurgen Klopp out of Liverpool, but etc. etc. If anything, Liverpool have become an even more physically relentless team since Slot came in, as proven by Dominik Szoboszlai joining midfield partner Mac Allister in the top 10. The Hungarian has been playing as the most advanced of a midfield three so far this season, helping the likes of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz hunt down the opposition.

3. Bernardo Silva

Manchester City finished fifth in the Premier League for distance covered last season on 4,304 km, with Pep Guardiola always expecting 110% from his players as the bare minimum. And of all Man City players, Bernardo Silva is the least surprising to feature among the division’s hardest-working players. Often an unsung hero, the Portuguese forward gives his all in every match and is a key figure in City’s all-conquering side.

2. Flynn Downes

Despite struggling upon their return from the Championship, Southampton are currently second in the Premier League for average possession (68.2%), with Russell Martin giving them a clearly defined way of playing. Flynn Downes is the man doing the hard work when they don’t have the ball, topping key metrics such as tackles, interceptions, blocks and, of course, distance covered.

1. Christian Norgaard

Club: Brentford

Distance covered: 35.5 km

Christian Norgaard’s 0.6 km lead at the top of this ranking is quite a big one, considering the fine margins involved elsewhere in the top 10. That should come as little surprise, however. The Denmark international has been an underrated and key figure for Brentford for several years now. Thomas Frank continues to lean on his captain to set the standard in midfield.