The 20 Players Who Have Run the Most in the Premier League so Far

We all love our teams' workhorses—the players who, regardless of the scoreline, setting or state of the game, simply keep on running for the cause and cover ground for the good of the team.

You can't help but admire such players, and any side with designs on being successful needs them, but just who are the marathon men of the Premier League?

We've teamed up with the EA Sports Player Performance Index, the official player rating index of the Barclays Premier League, to bring you the 20 players who have covered the most distance in the division this season.

Data correct as of publication. 

Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the official player rating index of the Barclays Premier League. Pick, manage and play as your own team of stars in EA SPORTS FIFA 15 Ultimate Team. Find out more at http://www.easports.com/uk/fifa/ultimate-team #FEELTHEGAME

We kick off with one of the standout performers of this season, who is just as hardworking off the ball as he is talented on it.

Eden Hazard has provided some vital goals and assists for Chelsea as Jose Mourinho’s men close in on the title, and the Belgian has covered close to 300km (186 miles) in his side’s pursuit of glory.

Another one of Chelsea’s star men is next up, with Cesc Fabregas having only missed three Premier League games since he returned to the league from Barcelona in the summer.

A consistent creative force for his side all season, the Spain international has also covered close to 300km in his side’s efforts to secure Premier League glory. Jose Mourinho instantly made him one of his main men, and Fabregas is closing in on a first league title in England.

Ostracised by previous boss Michael Laudrup and sent out on loan to Sunderland for the 2013/14 campaign, Ki Sung-Yeung returned to Swansea City for the 2014/15 season and has become a key player for current boss Garry Monk.

The elegant and hard-working midfielder has featured in all but three of Swansea’s league games this season, scoring six goals, including in both matches of the Swans’ league double over Manchester United.

The hardworking presence at the heart of the Newcastle United midfield, France international Moussa Sissoko has gained plenty of admirers since moving to Tyneside from Toulouse in January 2013.

Perhaps needing to add more goals to his game in the quest to become a more well-rounded midfield player, Sissoko did pop up with a goal in his side's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal last time out. He has started all but two of the Magpies’ league games this season.

The first English name on our list is that of the West Ham United midfielder Stewart Downing, who has found his feet at Upton Park under Sam Allardyce after a less than impressive spell at Liverpool.

Often used in the No. 10 position this season, Downing’s intelligent runs and good use of the ball have helped the Hammers enjoy a largely impressive season, to which the 35-times capped England international has contributed five goals.

He’s quietly played every minute of every one of Crystal Palace’s league games this season—even staying in the team despite the change of manager—so perhaps it should be no surprise that Eagles defender Joel Ward makes it into our top 20.

A consistent and resolute performer, Ward even popped up with a goal in the recent win over Queens Park Rangers, and he’s developed a reputation for being Selhurst Park’s Mr Consistent thanks to a series of reliable displays.

As the man who ties Chelsea’s midfield together, Serbia’s Nemanja Matic has surely been one of the most important players in the Premier League this season.

His expert screening of the Blues defence has seemingly redefined the role of the defensive midfielder, and his excellent and energetic performances in his side’s big games have been a crucial factor behind their rise to the top of the table.

Another of this Premier League season’s ever-presents, Ahmed Elmohamady has been a constant thorn in the side of Hull City’s opponents as he attacks down the right flank.

The former Sunderland man—clearly a favourite of Tigers boss Steve Bruce—has scored against Everton and Chelsea this season and will be a key figure in his side’s attempts to stave off the threat of relegation.

After courting controversy following his free transfer from local rivals Sunderland last summer, Jack Colback was always going to be determined to impress fans of new club Newcastle United this season, and that’s exactly what he’s done.

The flame-haired midfielder has only missed three games during his first campaign with the club he supported as a boy, with his boundless energy and enthusiasm now counted on by John Carver as the Magpies near the end of another somewhat disappointing season.

Five minutes at the end of a 2-2 draw at Leicester City in early October is the only Premier League football right-back Kieran Trippier has missed for Burnley this season, with the former Manchester City youth’s consistency crucial to his side’s chances of staying up.

After proving to be a key creative force for his side in their promotion from the Championship last season, Trippier has again been trusted by boss Sean Dyche, who has the most players of any manager in this top 20 with four.

We head into the top 10 with West Ham United’s Aaron Cresswell, who has been a hugely impressive performer in his first season in the Premier League after moving from Ipswich Town in the summer.

The 25-year-old has played in every minute of every game for the Hammers this season, scoring one goal against Newcastle United and leading many to claim that he could challenge Leighton Baines and Kieran Gibbs for the left-back spot in the England team.

If you’d have asked Premier League observers which players they’d have expected to see on this list before it was revealed, Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson would probably have been at the forefront of their minds.

The Reds’ vice-captain has an all-action style that helps enforce Liverpool’s pressing game, and he’s used it to score five goals and provide eight assists in the league this season, putting him in the conversation for the club’s Player of the Year award.

As we know, Burnley boss Sean Dyche likes his team to work hard and try to get in the faces of the opposition. In midfielder David Jones, he’s got a player who has been more than willing to do that for him all season.

A youth-team player at Manchester United and previously in the Premier League with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic, Jones might not grab the headlines, but he’s started all but two of Burnley’s Premier League matches this season and is clearly a key figure for his club in the engine room.

The third of three Newcastle United players in our top 20, Dutchman Daryl Janmaat has had a quietly impressive first campaign in English football to follow up his impressive World Cup last summer.

He’s started every one of the Magpies’ Premier League matches, providing an outlet on the right flank and getting forward to support attacks whenever possible. He’s also scored one goal and provided an impressive seven assists.

Renowned for his prowess from set pieces, Sunderland’s Sebastian Larsson has nonetheless covered plenty of ground when the ball hasn’t been dead this season, running over 200 miles for the Mackems' cause in their battle against relegation.

The Swede is a familiar Premier League face after stints with Arsenal and Birmingham City, and his reliable and determined efforts in the centre of the park have made him a firm favourite at the Stadium of Light.

Having been sent out on seven different loan spells by first club Tottenham Hotspur, Hull City midfielder Jake Livermore finally found a home when he turned the final one of those loans into a permanent deal in the summer.

He’s rewarded manager Steve Bruce for his faith by starting all but one of his side’s Premier League games this season, turning in energetic displays in the centre of his side’s midfield and helping Hull’s ongoing battle to stay away from the bottom three.

Another member of the energetic Burnley bunch, Scotland international Scott Arfield scored his side’s first Premier League goal of the season when he smashed home a fine effort against Chelsea back in August.

He’s scored just one goal since, but the Scot’s all-action displays have been seen in all but one of the Clarets’ matches in their battle against the drop this season, and he continues to be a vital part of Sean Dyche’s team.

With a stride so long he can go from box-to-box in a matter of seconds, Stoke City midfield powerhouse Steven N’Zonzi takes his place in our top three thanks to another largely consistent season.

Mark Hughes and his men probably don’t get the praise they deserve as the hangover from the physical Tony Pulis era still lingers in many minds, but N’Zonzi is one of the key reasons for their virtual ever-presence in the top half of the table.

While many of our players on this list are covering ground in a bid to both shut down and stop the opposition, Tottenham Hotspur’s Christian Eriksen perhaps surprisingly appears so highly on this list due to his terrific work rate and determination to make things happen for his side.

Along with Harry Kane, the Denmark international has been one of the key performers in Tottenham’s largely impressive season, which has featured another challenge for the top four. The Champions League would be a fitting stage for Eriksen to display his many talents on.

That Burnley’s George Boyd is the Premier League’s marathon man is more impressive than it already is because he only featured for 10 minutes in the Clarets’ first three games of the season following his move from Hull City.

He’s started every one since, scoring five goals, including the stunning winner in the recent 1-0 success against Manchester City.

As we’ve discovered, Burnley boss Sean Dyche seems to like his side to work harder than their opposition. In Boyd, he has a player whose will to win and non-stop attitude has seen him crowned as the Premier League’s Running Man.