Bruno Fernandes way out in front as Europe’s most overworked player
Bruno Fernandes must be running on fumes since the Man Utd star has played more minutes than anyone in Europe’s top five leagues and more than any outfielders in Europe’s top 15 leagues.
Including club and international matches, here are the top 10 outfield players to have played the most minutes this season…
1) Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) – 4664 minutes
Total games: 54
Club games: 45
International games: 9
Manchester United have looked spent for much of much of the last month and some players have a good excuse for being knackered. No more so than the overworked Fernandes. The Portugal star has played 385 minutes more than any other outfield player in Europe’s top 15 leagues, never mind the top five. The next closest player is Union Saint Gilloise goalkeeper Anthony Moris and he’s 179 minutes short of Bruno’s workload this season.
2) Harry Kane (Tottenham) – 4246 minutes
Total games: 49
Club games: 40
International games: 9
Overall, Kane has the fifth-highest number of minutes in Europe’s top 15 leagues, including goalkeepers, with Moris and Benfica duo Nicolas Otamendi and Odysseas Vlachodimos between the England striker and Fernandes. Tottenham could do with giving Kane a break but without him, they are f***ed. Even with him…
3) Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) – 4173 minutes
Total games: 52
Club games: 40
International games: 12
It’s been a busy season for English football’s record signing. He started it by moving to Benfica from River Plate; made 27 appearances in Portugal; went to Qatar; won the World Cup; joined Chelsea and he’s been an ever-present ever since, playing all but nine minutes since he made his Blues debut.
4) Rodri (Manchester City) – 3990 minutes
Total games: 49
Club games: 41
International games: 8
Pep Guardiola bought Kalvin Phillips last summer in the hope of giving Rodri the occasional breather but Manchester City have felt unable to be without their midfield glue. Guardiola has started Rodri for every game he’s been available in the Premier League except the 6-3 derby win over United when he had a calf problem. He’s been rested twice: for the home game against Copenhagen in the Champions League; and the FA Cup win at Bristol City. Poor Kalvin.
5) Vinicius Jr (Real Madrid) – 3960 minutes
Total games: 47
Club games: 40
International games: 7
The Brazilian’s robustness has to be commended since he has been by far and away the most-fouled player in Europe this season. For Real Madrid, Vinicius Jr has been fouled 97 times, 16 more than the next highest, Lazio’s Mattia Zaccagni.
Read more: The 10 most fouled players in Europe in 2022-23: Grealish, Neymar, Vinicius…
6) Lionel Messi (PSG) – 3941 minutes
Total games: 45
Club games: 33
International games: 12
The GOAT isn’t easing off, playing 33 games for PSG either side of dragging Argentina to World Cup glory. In those 33 games, Messi has had a hand in 35 goals, scoring 18 and laying on 17. In Ligue 1 (13) and Champions League (four), he’s got equal number of goals and assists. Not bad for a 35-year-old. He will probably win the Ballon d’Or.
7) Willi Orban (RB Leipzig) – 3896 minutes
Total games: 44
Club games: 38
International games: 6
The Hungary centre-back and good egg would be even higher on this list had he not ended his ever-present streak for RB Leipzig to become a stem-cell donor, causing him to sit out a defeat to Union Berlin.
8) Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham) – 3894 minutes
Total games: 44
Club games: 37
International games: 7
With Tottenham’s injury woes and their top-four pursuit, there’s very little chance of Hojbjerg getting a breather between now and the end of the season. The Denmark international has missed only one Premier League game this term – the 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle that could prove costly come the end of the season.
9) Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) – 3870 minutes
Total games: 48
Club games: 39
International games: 9
Once again, no one could have predicted how crucial Xhaka would become to Arsenal when he was returning fire while being crucified by the home supporters at the Emirates. But one player has played more minutes for Arsenal so far this season: Gabriel Magalhaes (3328)
10) Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) – 3860 minutes
Total games: 45
Club games: 37
International games: 8
Kimmich has missed only two Bayern games all season, one through suspension, the other due to the ‘rona. Julian Nagelsmann trusted him and the midfielder loved his now-departed boss, naming him as one of the top three coaches he’s worked with, And Kimmich has played for Pep Guardiola, Jupp Heynckes, Carlo Ancelotti, Hansi Flick and Joachim Low.