Virgil Van Dijk, Luke Shaw & Co. – Which players have played most top five league minutes this season?

Top 20 revealed 

In a season defined by congested fixtures, tactical rotations and the ever-present threat of injury, a select group of players have stood out for their remarkable durability and consistency this term. While stars are often measured by goals and assists, another elite tier is defined by something subtler – minutes played.

Across the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1, a handful of footballers have shouldered the heavy burden of near-ever-present status, logging more time on the pitch than almost anyone else in Europe’s elite leagues this term. We have collated the results, only including outfield players. The list is dominated by the Premier League, with a few Serie A stars sprinkled in as there has been most games in these divisions so far this term.

Players with the most minutes in the top five leagues this season

Five Premier League players lead the way, having played 2,340 minutes this season. Defenders Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), James Tarkowski (Everton), Nikola Milenković (Nottingham Forest) and Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace) are joined by midfielder Elliott Anderson (Nottingham Forest) as the most heavily worked stars in the top five leagues to far this season. In sixth is Everton’s James Garner with 2,334 minutes followed by West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen in seventh with 2,331 minutes.

Completing the top 10 are Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers (2,320 minutes), Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell (2,310 minutes) and Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert (2,300 miniutes). As many as 17 of the top 20 are Premier League players, with the only exceptions the Serie A trio of Cremonense’s Federico Baschirotto, Genoa’s Johan Vásquez and Udinese’s Jesper Karlström.