“Back with the boys for number 21, let’s have it,” was the message from James Milner on Monday as he reported for pre-season training back at the AXA Training Centre. Accompanied by flexing muscle emoji and ‘here we go again’ hashtag, the midfielder is raring to go as he starts his 21st season as a professional player, having signed a new one-year contract with Liverpool.
Yet truth be told, for the majority of last season it had looked like the midfielder might leave Anfield this summer. The Reds vice-captain had been due to be out of contract and, having celebrated his 36th birthday in January, had been turned to sporadically by Jurgen Klopp.
Injuries suffered when starting on the opening day of the season against Norwich City and in the 5-0 victory away at Manchester United didn’t help his cause as the midfielder, who previously prided himself on his availability, had to spend a month on the sidelines on both occasions. And when he returned, even with Liverpool short on midfielders at the time, he found himself restricted to late substitute appearances at best.
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Yet, while written off in some quarters as a result, amid accusations of the veteran’s legs ‘being gone’ as Father Time caught up on him, Milner bounced back to silence his doubters emphatically as the Reds chased an unprecedented quadruple. Playing an important role after coming on in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals to help Liverpool beat Chelsea to clinch a domestic double, he earned plaudits when starting against Newcastle United and Southampton in the final weeks of the season as Klopp rotated his pack.
Eyebrows were raised when the German previously admitted back in February that he’d advised club bosses to hand Milner a new contract despite his limited game-time at the time.
“It’s no secret that James is in the last year of his current deal – and again – I emphasise ‘current’,” he wrote in his programme column for the Reds’ clash with Leeds United. “I spoke recently about ‘talks’ taking place to extend his stay with us and I thought it might make sense to use this platform to clarify that as I’ve seen some misleading reporting around it.
“By talks I mean I indicated my wish that James stays with us beyond this season, in a playing capacity. James will keep playing, he has told me this. So he should, by the way.
“The level he is at, physically, technically and in terms of personal desire and hunger for more, means he should play on for as long as that lasts. I hope it will be here and that is what I have told those at the club who take on these tasks.”
Yet after his man of the match performance against Newcastle two months later, onlookers were convinced that Milner still had more to give and, with five substitutions set to be introduced across the board in 2022/23, the midfielder could still play a prominent role at Anfield.
“Outstanding. Milly is Milly. He’s incredibly important for us,” the German told reporters at St. James’ Park. “People think we talk about dressing room and leadership. Yes it is helpful, it’s very helpful especially with a manager who isn’t a native speaker. But on the pitch as well, he played a super game.
“I don’t want to take anything from him but I liked Naby and Hendo as the six, it worked out really well. The boys were on fire. I really liked the game and James was a massive part of that. It would be interesting to look at Luka Modric. Is he not 36 as well? Obviously a good generation.
“It’s difficult to be fitter than Milly, he's a role-model. I told him, nothing that we have achieved in the last few years would have happened without James Milner. Easy as that. Whether he’s on the pitch or not. He stands out in a way not a lot of people can stand out. He’s educated all of us.”
Come June and Milner put pen to paper on a new one-year contract with Liverpool, accepting a significant pay cut to remain at Anfield, having also turned down offers from the Premier League and abroad in the process. His manager couldn’t have been more delighted.
“Typically, the discussions we had around extending his contract were centred on: what kind of contribution do we see him making as a player?” he said. “My answer to him was the same I’ll share with supporters: we don’t limit it.
“We just want the same from him again, because that’s not possible to replace. He can still do it and we still need it. So I’m grateful he answered the call and agreed to give us the extra year of his extraordinary career. More to come.
“I am delighted by this news. It’s important for us – all of us. A lot is often made of James’ leadership skills and his influence in the dressing room, and of course that’s correct and justified, but nobody should overlook his quality on the pitch, where he continues to perform to a level that meant we simply couldn’t afford to lose him.
“His professionalism is the benchmark for any athlete and it’s why he sets the tone for this team with his ability and attitude. We had the longest campaign possible last season and Millie only got stronger and better and more influential as it went on."
Should Milner feature in either of Liverpool’s final two games of the season, at home to Aston Villa and away at Southampton next May, he will overtake Gary McAllister as the Reds’ oldest player in Premier League history. The fact that he remains one of the fittest players in the English top-flight, dominating distance covered per 90 minutes stats, and continues to win the Reds’ pre-season lactate test year after year is a testament to his longevity.
Yet with the memories of Milner’s performances during the latter months of last season now disappearing in the rear-view mirror, he is likely to be scapegoated by the vocal minority who remain aghast that Liverpool have decided, as things stand, to put plans to sign a new midfielder on hold until the summer of 2023. After all, a player who will turn 37 come January is hardly one for the future.
Klopp has eight senior midfielders to call upon in his squad, yet onlookers still take issue with the quality, if not the quantity, of the options at his disposal. Having seen the Reds fail to convince Aurelien Tchouameni that he should opt for Anfield over the Bernabeu this summer, the decision to delay strengthening midfield for a further 12 months has come under fire even further. However, the Frenchman would only have been an addition to what was already at Klopp’s disposal.
‘Why should Liverpool ‘waste money’ on Milner’s wages for another year when they could just release him and replace him with someone better?” is the argument presented with certain fans horrified at the prospect of the Reds locking horns with Man City with a 37-year-old in midfield. Yet the veteran continues to prove himself time and time again.
Yes, he’s not going to play a significant role in the Reds’ long-term future on the pitch, directly at least, but he showed exactly what he brings to the table in the final months of last season to justify Klopp’s desire to keep him. When he wins the pre-season lactate test, he will have defied his age yet again as he heads into his 21st season.
Such capabilities will have played their part in Liverpool’s decision to offer Milner a new contract, while they will have also left the Reds confident that they already boast enough in midfield to challenge for another season. Sure, if the right player was available they would have moved for him this summer, but after missing out on Tchouameni, Liverpool decided they would be better off to wait.
That decision will inevitably enhance links to Jude Bellingham, with Borussia Dortmund having no desire to sell the England international before the summer of 2023. The Reds are interested in the midfielder, after all, but only time will tell if the Bundesliga outfit’s stance is behind their reason to wait or if their desired target lies elsewhere.
Either way, whether it’s Bellingham they want or another, links with Gini Wijnaldum last month prompted fans to urge the club to re-sign the Dutchman as a stop-gap at least, adamant that Klopp’s current options, despite last year’s quadruple challenge, simply aren’t enough. Yet, from a certain point of view, Liverpool have already signed a stop-gap this summer in Milner.
Klopp knows exactly what he’s getting from his vice-captain as pre-season preparations continue. By signing up for a further season, taking Milner into his 37th year, he is maintaining the Reds’ current midfield options for the campaign ahead with it then easy for the veteran to step aside and be replaced by this long-term option the club desire in 2023 in a natural changing of the guard.
With Julian Ward tasked with revamping Liverpool’s attack in 2022 as the club sticks to its 'retain and refresh' strategy, midfield is next on his list for 2023. And Milner’s ongoing presence ensures numbers won’t be left short at Anfield this season with no opening yet created.
Of course, you wouldn’t be against him again defying the odds and earning another extension in 12 months’ time. After all, when it comes to the Reds vice-captain, age is just a number. But by Milner agreeing his latest new contract, he’s made life a lot simpler for Ward as the soft launch of the next generation of Klopp’s Liverpool continues.
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