PROOF: Mourinho's Manchester United are not running as hard as their rivals
Jose Mourinho said Manchester United’s intensity was key in their 4-1 win over Leicester. (Getty Images)

Jose Mourinho has called for more intensity from his players this season – and the stats suggest that the Manchester United manager has a point.
As the Premier League prepares to recommence after the international break, United are looking to close their five-point gap behind Premier League leaders Manchester City.
But when it comes to matching Pep Guardiola’s men in the running stakes, they are trailing far behind.
According to Sky Sports’ statistics, United are currently bottom of the table for most distance covered out of all 20 teams in the Premier League.

MOST DISTANCE COVERED

1. Liverpool (814.8km) 2. Manchester City (803.9km)
3. Tottenham (803.4km)
20. Manchester United (735.6km)
Mourinho’s men are also considerably off the pace when it comes to high intensity during games.
Predictably, Jurgen Klopp has got his players performing more sprints than any other side in the division.
United, meanwhile, are far behind the likes of City, Tottenham and even Arsenal, who rank fourth so far with 3725 sprints in total.

MOST SPRINTS

1. Liverpool: 4165 2. Manchester City: 4014
3. Tottenham: 3755
8. Manchester United: 3524
It’ll be interesting to see whether Klopp’s Liverpool and Guardiola’s City will be able to maintain the intensity they have shown in the early stages of the campaign, particularly during the Christmas break.
United, meanwhile, appear to be treating the title race as a marathon, rather than a sprint