As every Newcastle fan will tell you, Matt Ritchie never stops running and his work rate has been recognised by Premier League statisticians, with it being shown that only SIX other top flight players have covered more ground than the industrious winger this season.
Ritchie is our top runner, covering 78.5km so far this season, with Ayoze Perez and Mikel Merino in second and third place respectively with regards to our running stats.
Here’s how Ritchie compares to some of the top Premier League runners however, with the energetic winger being the 7th most active player in the division so far according to Opta stats:
1. Jack Cork (Burnley) – 85.1km
2. Abdoulaye Doucoure (Watford) 83.4km
3. Pascal Gross (Brighton) 82.1km
4. Joe Allen (Stoke) – 81.6km
5. Nemanja Matic (Man Utd) – 81.5km
6. Dele Alli (Spurs) – 80.8km
7. Matt Ritchie (Newcastle) – 78.5km
Worth noting that Ritchie is the only winger in the list, suggesting he is the hardest working winger in the league thus far!
Really impressive stats from Ritchie, who not only covers real ground, but defends from the front, covers his full back and provides a real threat going forward. He may not have got his name on the scoresheet so far this season, but has assisted 4 of our 7 Premier League goals so far this season.
No wonder he was forced to pull out of Scotland’s squad with a thigh strain! The man doesn’t stop running.
