Manchester United have revealed who their five fastest players have been so far this season and there is a couple of surprising names in the top five.
Manchester United have endured a difficult start to their Premier League campaign, with Michael Carrick’s side currently sitting 12th in the table.
The Reds have managed just one league win so far — a thrilling 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town — while dropping points against Hull City, Everton, Manchester City and Fulham.
That represents a significant drop-off from the form they showed towards the end of last season, when United were one of the Premier League’s in-form sides. Carrick’s team will need to find that consistency again when domestic action resumes next month.
One major topic of concern among supporters has been the lack of running and intensity within Carrick's side. However, there have been some players who have reached impressive top speeds.
Who have been United's five fastest players?
United have several players who can cause problems for defenders with their pace, and the club have released the data on who has topped those charts so far this season.
In a new article, the Reds have revealed the five players with the highest max speed in Premier League encounters and there are three unsurprising names included.
Bryan Mbeumo tops the list with a 33.36 km/h top speed against Everton, a game in which he also scored a superb goal. Meanwhile, Benjamin Šeško and Marcus Rashford are placed in third (34.26 km/h) and fourth (33.43 km/h) spots respectively.
However, it was surprising to note that Joshua Zirkzee's top speed against Manchester City was recorded at 33.1 km/h and was the fifth-highest among United's squad. The Dutch striker is not known for his pace.
But even more interesting was Luke Shaw being the second-fastest in the squad - ahead of the likes of Rashford and Šeško - with a 34.43 km/h top-speed against Ipswich Town.
It is widely viewed that Shaw has lost the half-yard he needs to make a difference in the final third. Even if that may not be the case, the problem is that he cannot sustain such runs consistently.
Shaw's availability will define United's season
Shaw is back fit after a few games out injured and those matches showed that United have a problem at left-back. In reality, most supporters knew the issue would exist after a left-back was not signed in the summer.
Patrick Dorgu does not seem fully committed to becoming an out-and-out left-back while moving Noussair Mazraoui or Diogo Dalot across is not ideal either.
Harry Amass is the unproven option for Carrick but it does not seem like he is ready to contribute regularly at Old Trafford this term.
For United to be successful again this season, it seems like Shaw's availability will be key. He has already had an issue this early in the campaign, and Carrick cannot afford for many more to come in the next few months.
