#3 Shane Long
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When a teammate scores a hat-trick against one of the richest clubs in the world, it will always be very difficult to take the Man of the Match award from him, but that’s exactly what Shane Long did last season. While Sadio Mane was plundering Joe Hart’s goal during Southampton’s 4-2 win over Manchester City, the 30-year-old Irishman was sprinting around the pitch, pressurising defenders and making runs that allowed Mane to run riot on the City’s goal.
However, that was exactly why Ronald Koeman paid nearly £12 million pounds to bring Long from Hull City. Whilst Long isn’t the most prolific striker in the Premier League, he more than makes up for it by making himself a nuisance in the and around the box for defenders.
(Video Courtesy: PlanetFootballVINES YouTube Channel)
Combined with his height the striker is strong and with his sensational stamina and never ending running that works defenders into a ground, he’s become an incredible asset for the Saints. On average the striker covers a distance of 9.72 km per 90 minutes but in his best 90 so far, he’s covered nearly 12 km!
However, the 30-year-old striker is a rather peculiar case because despite having the ability and the physical prowess to become a lethal forward for Southampton, his criticism is that he’s never managed to score goals consistently. Compared to his fellow strikers, the Irishman’s technical ability is called into question and Long has also struggled with his finishing in the final third.
