Manchester City have some of the quickest players in the Premier League.
Jeremy Doku, for instance, is such a difficult dribbler for defenders to tame because apart from being one of the best players in Europe at beating his man, his speed makes him virtually unstoppable at times.
So much so that Doku stunned Kylian Mbappe with his pace — as the Real Madrid superstar admitted that he has never seen a fellow player be as rapid as he is from a standing start position.
While Manuel Akanji is not as lightning quick as the Belgian, one of the primary reasons why he seems at ease when deployed as a full-back is due to his speed — which allows him to keep pace with fast wingers and carry the ball over large distances at will.
Since his time at RB Salzburg, Erling Haaland has been known for being incredibly quick — a feature which sets him apart from all of the other best strikers in the world.
The likes of Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski were never known for being particularly rapid, unlike the Manchester City striker.
Since Fernando Torres, there have not been many world-class frontmen who have been renowned for their speed.
So much so that playing a high line against such number nines seems to be a case for simply asking for trouble.
In the Premier League, managers tend to set their sides in a way that does not allow the £51 million man to race past their backline before he proceeds to put the ball in the back of the net.
Dias says Kyle Walker is quicker than Haaland
However, amongst their plethora of speedsters, it would be interesting to discover which player is the quickest.
When Ruben Dias was asked which Manchester City teammate of his is the fastest player on the pitch in an interview with Fubo, he simply replied: “Kyle [Walker].”
Recently, Paul Merson stated Walker is getting quicker despite being 34 years of age.
While building his perfect player, Harry Maguire picked City’s captain when it came to the speed department as well.
Considering Maguire has played with speedsters such as Marcus Rashford, Dan James, Alejandro Garnacho and Raheem Sterling for club and country, it is telling that he opted for Walker.
It is interesting to note that the six-time Premier League winner is older than all the aforementioned quick players.
Walker should be proud of being considered quicker than Haaland
Considering Walker is also a decade older than Haaland, it is impressive that Dias feels the former is still quicker than the latter and the rest of the Manchester City squad.
The Norwegian international not only has remarkable speed but long legs which allow him to beat most players in a footrace.
Furthermore, over long distances, Haaland is a nightmare to stop, as evidenced by his races against Jarrad Branthwaite and Kristoffer Ajer who were beaten by him for pace last season.
But even so, it seems like Walker is faster than the star striker, which emphasises how outstanding his pace truly is and suggests how much of a model professional he is.