David de Gea, Declan Rice and 12 other players yet to miss a minute of Premier League action

Cameron Loftus
23 December 2021

Goalkeepers feature heavily in the top flight ever-presents but there are also six outfield players who are not only undroppable, they are unsubbable, too.

Knowing which Premier League players are not only fit enough to play every game but are also selected to start every one is a massive bonus for fantasy football managers. It also provides a fascinating insight into which managers prefer to stick with a winning side and which like to tinker after a stinker.

As we reach the halfway stage of the season (sort of), Planet Sport takes a look at the handful of players who have played every minute of the Premier League season for their respective clubs.

It's safe to say that goalkeepers have a massive advantage when it comes to staying the distance, but there are also some outfield players who impressively make the list.

How many will still be there when we're through 38 matches?

Goalkeepers

Unsurprisingly, over half the list of players to have played every minute are the men between the sticks, with no fewer than eight of the 20 first-choice keepers having not missed a second of action.

Wolves' Jose Sa and Leeds United's young Frenchman Illan Meslier lead the way in terms of minutes played as their clubs are among those to have played 18 matches.

The other goalkeepers to have also played every minute for their clubs this season are West Ham's Lukasz Fabianski, Norwich's Tim Krul, who have played 17 times and Leicester's Kasper Schmeichel and David de Gea of Man United who have featured in all 16 games to date.

World Cup winner Hugo Lloris of Tottenham and Burnley's Nick Pope round off the list with their clubs having only played 15 times this season, amassing 1,350 minutes on the field.

Max Kilman

Wolves centre-back Max Kilman is the only outfield player to have played every minute of the 18 matches for any of the 20 Premier League clubs this season.

Kilman's centre-back partner Conor Coady deserves an honourable mention, however, as he has only missed three minutes of action all campaign. He was replaced with just a couple minutes of his team's 1-0 loss to Man United remaining as manager Bruno Lage sent on an attack-minded player to try and find an equaliser.

But it's Kilman who holds the record for being the outfield player with the most minutes under his belt. He took the interesting career path of playing futsal until the age of 21 and only stopped playing when he was signed by Wolves in 2018.

Over the past two seasons, Kilman, who was born to Ukrainian parents in London, has made himself a first-team regular, transitioning smoothly from non-league to the Premier League.

Declan Rice

Next up is the only midfielder on the list, although Declan Rice did actually begin his career as a centre-back. The 22-year-old is already West Ham captain and has been one of the most influential players in his club's success under manager David Moyes.

This season the England international has three assists and one goal to his name.

Rice has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs but Hammers fans will be hoping their captain will stay put for the foreseeable future.

Max Aarons

Norwich City's right-back may only be 21, but he has already packed in two Championship titles and a Premier League relegation since making his Canaries debut in 2018.

Now back in the Premier League (for the time being at least), Aarons is one of the first names on the Norwich City team sheet and has underlined that by playing every minute of his side's 17 fixtures.

Aarons, who has 15 England Under-21 caps to his name, has already forged a fantastic reputation at Carrow Road and like Rice, seems destined for a club in the higher reaches of the Premier League.

Michael Keane

Everton have not had the greatest start to the season but one man they can rely on is centre back Michael Keane. A commanding and confident defender, Keane is much-loved by Evertonians.

After coming through the Manchester United academy, the defender had four loan spells away from Old Trafford, before signing permanently at fellow north-west club Burnley. Three strong seasons under Sean Dyche led to Everton splashing the cash for him in 2017, and he has been a mainstay in the Toffees backline ever since.

With only three clean sheets this season, it is clear Everton's defending leaves a lot to be desired but Rafael Benitez has trusted in Keane and opted to use him in every minute of every Premier League game under his stewardship.

Marc Guehi

Former Chelsea player Guehi signed for Crystal Palace in the summer for £21million and big things were expected from the club's third-most expensive purchase.

The England Under-21 international had already impressed in two loan spells at Swansea City and the centre-back has not disappointed at Selhurst Park.

Consistent, authoritative performances have highlighted his maturity and he has backed up his impressive displays with two goals, scoring against Burnley and Aston Villa in consecutive games.

Tyrick Mitchell

Crystal Palace's back line is built on consistency as the player to the left of Guehi is also a Premier League ever-present.

Mitchell burst onto the scene in July 2020 as an understudy to then left-back Patrick van Aanholt and when the Dutch international departed in the summer, the youngster became first-choice full-back.

He has not looked back and the fact he has played every minute of the Eagles' season shows how highly rated the England-born player is at Crystal Palace.

He has formed a strong and youthful partnership with the aforementioned Guehi on the left side of defence with the duo bringing pace, power and exuberance to their the Eagles' backline.