4 PL Stars Included In TOP FIVE Players Who Have Played The Most Minutes Of Football Over The Last Year
Following ‘Project Restart’ last summer, players across Europe have experienced unprecedented demands in terms of game time.
The quick turnaround between the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons meant that few of them had long to recharge their batteries between campaigns either.
In fact, last season saw leagues playing to even tighter schedules due to the fact that the first fixtures were played in mid-September, rather than in August.
Press the next page as we count down the top five players who have played the most minutes in Europe over the last year (based on stats from CIES Football Observatory).
5) Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester – 6256 minutes)
As goalkeepers don’t tend to get injured, and are rarely rotated, the Danish veteran’s inclusion on this list isn’t a complete surprise.
Leicester do have a competent backup keeper in Wales number one Danny Ward but manager Brendan Rodgers obviously felt that it was important to keep Schmeichel between the sticks throughout the season due to his leadership qualities.
4) Ruben Dias (Benfica and Manchester City – 6330 minutes)
Manager Pep Guardiola needed to bring in a strong and stable centre-half last summer, and he got just that with the Portuguese international.
City’s defence was transformed when Dias arrived, and his importance to the backline meant he was rarely given a breather.
3) Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan – 6420 minutes)
The second goalkeeper on this list, the Italian international played almost every game for Milan last season as they finished second in Serie A and reached the last 16 of the Europa League.
The decision to let Donnarumma go on a free transfer will surely come back to haunt the Rossoneri, especially as the shot-stopper is still just 22 years of age.
2) Harry Maguire (Manchester United – 6449 minutes)
Considering that he missed the last month of the season due to an ankle injury, you wouldn’t have guessed that United’s captain would be so high up in terms of minutes played.
However, he is an integral player for Manchester United, and the fact that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rarely rested him, suggests he didn’t place much trust in the other centre-backs he had at his disposal.
1) Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United – 6472 minutes)
After witnessing his performances at the European Championships, where he struggled for Portugal, it is unsurprising to see the 26-year-old finish top of this list.
Solskjaer rarely rested Fernandes, even for Europa League games, and the midfielder is deserving of a long rest after a very intense period of matches.
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