If they gave out points for effort, Burnley would be top of the league
As the influence of stats grows in football, factors like distance covered and sprints attempted will increasingly be used to factor in a player's worth, alongside more standard metrics likes goals and passing accuracy.
So while the likes of Sergio Aguero will always be a prized asset for his finishing skills, it requires a little deeper digging to find the merits of others.
Some fantastic data gathered by the
EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, and put into context by the
Telegraph, shows that when it comes to putting in the hard yards, or miles, then the best player in the Premier League is probably George Boyd.
The Burnley man has been racking up the miles all season and now he sits at or near the top of every one of these tables.
He hasn't covered the most distance this season, as he is just second to Stoke Steven N'Zonzi, but the Scot is leading the hardest working overall.
As you might guess, Burnley lead the way in both distance and sprints tallies for teams so if they were giving points for effort, they'd be well clear of the drop.
