Midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka has reached 97 senior appearances across all competitions without ever playing a full 90 minutes. The former Aston Villa and Chelsea player achieved this total through a combination of substitute appearances and being replaced during matches. According to the Premier League, the 22-year-old midfielder has yet to complete a full game for club or country at the senior level.
Stats Performance reports that the midfielder made 16 appearances for Aston Villa and 44 for Chelsea before his most recent career moves. His record includes 15 starts where he was substituted off before the final whistle. The trend reflects a wider shift in modern football tactics involving increased use of tactical substitutions, per The Guardian.
Managers have increasingly utilised the five-substitution rule introduced in 2022 to manage player workloads. Chukwuemeka remains the most prominent example of a regular squad member who has never finished a professional game. He has played 2,480 minutes of senior football in total, according to Transfermarkt data.
