Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on the ever-reliable James Milner after the Liverpool midfielder earned his 600th Premier League appearance during Saturday's 3-1 win over Southampton.
Only Frank Lampard (609), Ryan Giggs (632) and Gareth Barry (653) have featured in more fixtures during the modern era than the Reds' vice-captain, who continues to set the standards for those around him at 36-years-old.
Milner signed a one-year contract extension on significantly reduced terms during the summer transfer window to extend his stay on Merseyside, with Klopp understood to be a catalyst behind this deal being agreed.
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One thing that is certain is the long-lasting professional influence of the three-time Premier League title winner is not lost on the Liverpool boss, who paid tribute to Milner's milestone appearance reached on Saturday afternoon.
“It is only the fourth player, right?" questioned Klopp in relation to the 600 outings the Leeds-born midfielder has racked up. He continued: "Who are the other three? Stevie [Gerrard] didn’t have 600? A lot of things must come together [to play this many games]. You must be a really good player, which James obviously is, and a top, top top professional because our body is our body and what we put in we get. With the right training it is okay, with the wrong training it is still training but it’s not okay.
"I am really proud to be around when he reached that milestone as he is an exceptional player, an exceptional person and essential to everything we reached in the last few years. Today was a really big day for us because we knew 599 and there was actually no chance and no result when James wouldn’t come on. He had concussion and then a little muscle problem so was ready for today with one session. It is absolutely cool and well-deserved.
"It’s just Premier League appearances, so it means with Champions League and other cup competitions he is at 800? Wow! Massive. A good career. He is not finished and was very helpful for us today. He knows everything about the game and can set the tone. He did that when he came on and I’m really pleased for him."
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