Darren Bent and Jack Wilshere have hailed James Milner, describing the Liverpool midfielder as a ‘legend’ after he made his 800th career appearance.
Milner reached the landmark when he replaced Thiago Alcantara in the 86th minute of the Reds’ 2-0 Champions League triumph at Inter Milan on Wednesday.
The 36-year-old has enjoyed an outstanding career that has seen him win the biggest honours in club football but has often gone under the radar both at Liverpool and former club Manchester City.
Milner’s professionalism and dedication are perennially praised but his qualities on the pitch have been overlooked at times.
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However former Arsenal star Wilshere is in no doubt about his calibre as a player.
“He’s won the Champions League, he’s won the Premier League, he’s a legend," he told talkSPORT .
“He’s the best at the doing the fundamentals; running, tackling. If I’m playing against him, he’s taking me places I don’t want to go, he does that consistently, he’s done it for 800 games.”
Bent agreed with Wilshere’s assessment and highlighted Milner’s dependability as his greatest strength.
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The ex-Aston Villa striker: “He’s somebody that never, ever lets you down, before his ability and quality on the ball, it’s the work rate, that’s just standard with him.”
Milner won three Premier League titles and one FA Cup during his time with City before joining Liverpool in the summer of 2015.
The former England star has added another domestic title and the Champions League to his impressive medal collection during his spell with the Reds.
