The Manchester United skipper had competed for 4,745 minutes up to 17 December, which is the most in a study conducted by CIES Football Observatory this week.
The durability and consistency of the centre-back should be applauded and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently admitted that he finds it difficult to leave the defender out because he is always so determined to help the team.
He had played in 53 games this year, up to that point, as United's lengthy run in all the cup competitions, including the Europa League, boosted the numbers for our regular performers.