/Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has opened up on the future of his old guard and one of the most trusted allies, James Milner. The 37-year-old is in the final strides of his illustrious career, but was still labelled as an ‘incredibly important’, part of the Liverpool team by his manager. Milner joined the Reds on a free transfer from Manchester City in the summer of 2015 when Jurgen Klopp was appointed as club manager.
He has since made a stunning a 310 appearances for Liverpool till now, chipping-in with some important contributions. However, the former England international’s impact on the pitch has declined over the last few years, and at the age of 37, some have questioned whether his career is finally over. But Jurgen Klopp has provided his assessment over Milner’s future, rubbishing the talks of his retirement.
Jurgen Klopp claims he has ‘different plans’ for Milner
James Milner has been an important part of Jurgen Klopp’s set-up despite his age. The veteran midfielder is often tagged as the German’s impact substitution, coming-off the bench to give the Reds more control over the game. He has also won it all since joining Liverpool, he them to their first Premier League title in 30 years during the 19/20 season alongside a Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
However, Liverpool are heavily tipped to conduct an open surgery on their midfield across the next few transfer windows, bringing in some fresh and more importantly, young legs. The likes of Jude Bellingham and Matheus Nunes are already on their wishlist, with many more to join that. And as a result, clearance sale could also take place at Anfield, with the likes of Milner, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain let-off when their contracts expire in the summer.
But Klopp rather feels that the Reds should keep Milner for a little while longer, arguing that his contributions off the pitch will be difficult to replace and further suggested that a coaching position might be in bag for the midfielder. Klopp said in his pre-match press conference on Friday:
“We have different plans for Milly but Milly wants to keep playing and when you see him play the other night [against Wolves in the FA Cup] I think everyone will understand that. You can’t judge him normal for his age. Yes, he is 37, but he doesn’t look a day like this. When he is in training he is there full throttle. He is an incredibly important player and in this game you saw it on the pitch as well.
“It is not that Milly expects to play 64 games a season but in 64 games a season Milly could be extremely important. Even a player whose had a few clubs can end up at this club and I could consider Liverpool his club and that means I am pretty sure the club should use his character and his mindset as it is really special. There might be more fancy players out there but no one with a similar mindset and that makes him incredibly valuable for us and that is not because I am too loyal.”
Milner is one of the most experienced men in the English to flight, having made a staggering 600 appearances across stints with Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Leeds United. A three-time Premier League champion, Milner currently sits fourth in the all-time list of appearance-makers. With Jurgen Klopp hinting at another role reserved for the midfielder at the club, he might well step aside anytime soon from playing career to take it up.