Speed is one of the most important attributes in football.

The ability to beat defenders with a quick turn of foot is crucial for attackers while having the acceleration to recover in defence is equally as important.

But it’s hard to tell how quick a player actually is.

With players performing loads of short sprints per game, it’s hard to tell just how quick they are over such a small distance.

But who is the quickest player in the Premier League?

Other than lining them all up in a 100m sprint, it’s almost impossible to determine who is the fastest.

Well, sports tracking company Tracab have a solution.

They have identified the top speed that each player in the league has reached this season and have compiled a top five.

When thinking about the fastest players in the league, which names spring to mind? Theo Walcott? Hector Bellerin? Sadio Mane? Adama Traore?

Well, you’ll be surprised that none of the aforementioned trio feature in the top five.

The five fastest Premier League players

Don’t believe us, take a look:

5 | Lynden Gooch | Sunderland | 35.19 km/per hour

5 | Brad Smith | Bournemouth | 35.19 km/per hour

3 | Matt Phillips | West Brom | 35.20 km/per hour

2 | Marcus Rashford | Manchester United | 35.21 km/per hour

1 | Shane Long | Southampton | 35.31/per hour

So, it’s official, Shane Long is the fastest player in the Premier League.

Watch: Shane Long's speed

And here is the clip of him reportedly reaching that top speed against Watford earlier this season:

Yeah, he’s pretty fast!

We're sure plenty of you will disagree with the list but, like it or not, these top speeds are fact.

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