Man Utd's Fastest Player: Surprise Star Beats Marcus Rashford & Daniel James in Training Tests
Manchester United youth prospect Deji Sotona is officially the fastest player at the club after recording the quickest sprint speed during recent tests at United's Carrington training base.
Sotona currently plays for United's Under-18s and has already made three appearances so far this season, scoring once during a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool Under-18s. The 16-year-old has been making strides in the United academy and is being tipped to make his first-team bow at Old Trafford in the coming years.
The Daily Mail report that the Irish youngster clocked a staggering 22.9mph during a recent sprint speed test, surpassing a number of United first-team stars who are renowned for their speed.
Diogo Dalot (22.6mph), Marcus Rashford (22.18mph), Daniel James (22.07mph) and Tahith Chong (22.36mph) came closest to matching Sotona.
The 16-year-old's achievement shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as he previously held the title of Ireland's national Under-14 sprint champion at the age of 12.
Although Sotona hails from Waterford in Ireland, the report from the Daily Mail notes that he is eligible to represent England and that the English FA are currently keeping a close eye on him.
Although raw pace is not necessarily a marker of a player's ability, it's certainly something Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks for in his forward line.
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"Pace and power, Man United, that’s what we are,” Solskjaer said in an interview (via the Manchester Evening News) shortly after taking over the reins at United.
“When we have players like we have with pace…that’s how we played with Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke, Ryan Giggs, and Becks (David Beckham) down the sides. We attack quickly when you can. That’s my philosophy as well.”
