Wolves player Adama Traore has been branded the quickest man in world football by former team-mate Cyrus Christie, who claims that the former Barcelona youngster does not even run at full speed.
The pair played together at Middlesbrough for a spell between the summer of 2017 and January 2018, when Christie was sold to Derby and subsequently Fulham.
Meanwhile, Traore’s star has continued to ascend, with the winger taking a starring role at Wolves, where he has scored four times and set up seven more in 28 Premier League appearances this season.
Such form has led to links with Manchester United, most notably, and the chief asset that they would gain from the 24-year-old is his searing pace.
Asked by the Counter Attack podcast who the quickest player in the game is, Christie responded: “Adama. There’s no competition. Everyone knows he’s the quickest man in football - 100 per cent.
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“He doesn’t run at full pace either! That’s just taking the p***!
“When I was at Middlesbrough we had to do this sprint test. I knew Adama was quick and I said: ‘Come on Adama, let’s sprint.’
“I was going my hardest and he just drove past me. And he was laughing as well, it was demoralising.
“I had the second quickest time, but he was a different level.
“I didn’t see him sprint properly. I maybe saw him sprint properly once and that was when he ran the whole length of the pitch in less than 10 seconds.”
Meanwhile, Christie confirmed that he believes that the Championship season will not be written off following a suspension that has stretched two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit western Europe hard and has seen leagues in the likes of France, Belgium and Scotland ended early.
“From what we’re hearing it’ll continue. Obviously we don’t know to what extent or how they are going to do things,” he said.
“It’s just waiting around to see what’s going to happen. Health is definitely going to come first for people. Once we see how Germany pans out then I’m sure we can make plans.”
The Bundesliga returned to action in mid-May behind closed doors, though Germany was considerably less effected by Covid-19 than the UK, recording 8,235 deaths compared to 36,393 in the UK to date.
