After a terrible start to 2023, Liverpool put in an improved display against a poor Everton side on Monday night. The Reds ran out 2-0 victors, with 18-year-old Stefan Bajčetić putting in a man-of-the-match performance that belied his age.
At the other end of the scale age-wise is James Milner. The 37-year-old came on for a brief cameo at the end of the game, putting in a few trademark crunching tackles and going through one-on-one in the dying minutes of the game.
Milner is one of three midfielders out of contract at the end of the season. Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain look odds on to leave, but questions remain as to whether or not Liverpool’s vice-captain has another year in him in a red shirt.
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On the latest episode of our Journo Insight Show, we asked goal.com’s Neil Jones for his opinion on James Milner’s future.
Neil said:
“It’s hard to overstate just how big an impact he has on the club as a whole. I bet you if you spoke to Stefan Bajčetić about Milner, he’d tell you he’s had conversations with him or little words that meant something and resonated.
“Didn’t Salah say there was a meeting with Henderson and Milner last week? They led the player meeting. You can be absolutely sure that Milner would have rattled a few cages.
“It would be tough to replace that kind of influence in the squad. I wouldn’t be at all amazed if Liverpool eventually end up giving him another year, maybe with a view to becoming a coach or doing some work with the academy.
“If you can make him the seventh or eighth choice – that is part of an overhaul. Liverpool have tried to do that with players like Curtis Jones… Harvey Elliot moving into midfield. They’ve always ended up back with five – Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago, Milner and then if Keita is fit. They’re the five that Jürgen really, really trusts to start games.
“He’s never been a seventh or eighth choice. He’s always been fourth of fifth. If you can get it to the point where Milner is just your utility sub bench option, so he does left-back, right-back and midfield in an emergency, then that is progress.”
Redmen Reacts
The ‘King of the bleep test’ is not ready to give up his title just yet. There are plenty of examples of outfield players that have maintained a career at the top level well into their late 30s, such as Javier Zanetti and Francesco Totti. Many will see the continued presence of Milner and his ‘Brexit midfield’ understudy Jordan Henderson in the team as a sign of Liverpool’s stagnation as a club. There is something to be said for this view, but as Neil points out, the failure has been in other players not managing to push the veteran Yorkshireman down the pecking order. Form and fitness issues have plagued Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones, meaning Milner has remained a reliable option even at this stage of his career. If he can be used for cup games, late substitute appearances and games against the lesser sides in the league, then it could be worth keeping ‘Boring’ James for another season. The club need to sign at least two central midfielders with reliable fitness records to make this a reality.
TO HEAR MORE FROM NEIL ON TOPICS SUCH AS THIAGO, CLICK HERE
