James Milner joined Liverpool as a free agent from Manchester City in 2015, the same summer when the iconic captain Steven Gerrard left the club, and Brendan Rodgers, the manager at the time, sought Milner to fill the gap in terms of experience in his midfield ranks. However, Rodgers was sacked and replaced by Jurgen Klopp a couple of months later, and Milner has played in a variety of roles since.
The contribution the former England international has made to Liverpool’s successes in recent years can hardly be doubted. He was particularly important in 2016-17, when Klopp lost faith in the only left-back at his disposal, Alberto Moreno, and asked the midfielder to show his vast versatility by plugging the gap. Milner performed the role admirably throughout the season.
In all competitions, Milner has made a total of 273 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 26 goals and providing his teammates with 44 assists in the process. Having come to Anfield with two Premier League titles, and an FA Cup and a League Cup apiece under his belt already, he added the Champions League trophy to his collection, along with the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and one more league crown so far.
At the age of 36, Milner is set to run out of contract at the end of the season, but Klopp says his vice-captain has no intention of retiring and both he and the club are in talks with the player over an extension.
“I am in talks, the club is in talks with Millie, we will see,” Klopp said at the press conference ahead of his team’s trip to Burnley on Sunday.
