Jurgen Klopp was tight-lipped when asked about James Milner’s future prior to Liverpool’s clash with Nottingham Forest last weekend.
The Reds vice-captain is one of a number of players out of contract at Anfield this summer. But while Roberto Firmino has confirmed he will leave the Reds, and Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain look certain to follow, the 37-year-old’s future is a little more uncertain.
With Liverpool plotting a midfield revamp this summer as they look to overhaul an ageing side, it would be understandable if Milner was allowed to move on. Yet, at the same time he remains a valuable and experienced squad player who still contributes to the Reds whenever turned to.
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It is reported that Klopp would like his vice-captain to stay put. Whether such a request is granted, remains to be seen. It is worth noting though, Milner found himself in a similar situation last year before a one-year extension on reduced terms was agreed.
“No,” Klopp replied sharply when asked if there was any update on Milner’s future last week. “Until we have something to say, I’d have thought (that is when there will be an update). Whenever that will be.”
The fact that Milner’s last contract extension was penned in early-June suggests we could be waiting a while for such an update unless, like Firmino, the midfielder takes his future into his own hands.
If he is to leave the Reds, he still has a future as a Premier League player. The Athletic report that Brighton & Hove Albion are preparing a move for the 37-year-old, while his former Man City team-mate Vincent Kompany would also like to take him to Burnley following the Clarets’ promotion to the Premier League.
You would imagine he would feature more prominently at either club than he does these days for Liverpool. Yet while Milner is predominantly used as an experienced substitute to see out games, making only six starts in the Premier League and 11 in all competitions, only seven players can better his total of 37 appearances for the Reds this season.
Considering the midfielder will turn 38 in January, it would be easy to write him off and say, especially considering the expected midfield overhaul at Anfield, that Milner has no future at Liverpool. Yet, as Klopp would insist back at the start of the year, his vice-captain is much more than just a veteran.
"We have different plans for Milly, but Milly wants to keep playing," the German said. "And when you see him play the other night (against Wolves), I think everyone understands that. You can’t judge him because of his age or whatever.
"He is 37, but doesn’t look a day like this. When he is in training, he is there, full throttle. He is an incredibly important player and you saw this 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 incredibly important.
"That is how it is. I think Milly has reached 600 games in his career, right? And I think most of them are for Liverpool if I am right, probably. So even a player who had a few clubs can end up at his club and I can consider Liverpool his club.
"I am pretty sure the club should use his character and mindset and it was really special. There might be more fancy players out there, but no one with a similar mindset and that makes him incredibly important to us. And it's not because I am too loyal! It's just a fact."
It’s clear that when the time comes for Milner to hang up his boots, Klopp would like to find a role for him at Liverpool. But those days aren’t here yet.
Remember, we are in an era where we see Zlatan Ibrahimovic still playing for AC Milan at the age 41, and the likes of Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, Karim Benzema, and Robert Lewandowski thriving at the highest level well into their late-30s. Prior to recent moves to Saudi Arabia and South America, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez could claim the same.
Granted, Milner is not that marquee name but he has never tried to be. Having won every major honour on offer at Anfield in these twilight years of his career, his record speaks for itself.
If the Reds aren’t willing to sanction a new deal for their vice-captain, he seems set to continue his playing career elsewhere. But if a new contract is offered, despite the scoffs such a decision would inevitably receive from social media critics, he will remain ‘incredibly important’ to the club.
Whatever the future holds, James Milner is no normal 37-year-old.
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