Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has revealed that he has apologised to James Milner for a comment he made about him years ago.
James Milner played for Newcastle United when he was 19. And Graeme Souness claimed back then that the Magpies are unlikely to win the league title with an inexperienced player like him. Souness has now heaped praise on the long-serving Liverpool midfield genius in his column with Daily Mail.
“I was discussing leadership with Simon Jordan. James Milner was one of those I named as a leader I would want in my dressing room. At Newcastle, I knew him as a young boy. He has matured into a professional you can bet is a ten out of ten around the dressing room.”
He was upset with me many years ago at Newcastle when I said that ‘you won’t win the league with James Milners’ and he took that as me saying he wasn’t good enough. I was trying to say that you needed men. He was only 19 at the time. I apologised to him for that and I hope he’s forgiven me. You can never have enough James Milners in the dressing room. He makes other players turn up.”
Milner is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season when his contract expires. The 37-year-old is unlikely to sign a new contract with the Merseyside club, and he has been linked with a move to Brighton and Hove Albion. Liverpool signed the midfielder on a free transfer from Manchester City when Brendan Rodgers was in charge of the club.
He has proven to be an exceptional servant for them and has helped them win every single trophy at the club level. The experienced midfielder has struggled for regular game time at Anfield this season. So it makes sense for him to move on and explore other opportunities. There is no doubt that he could prove to be a useful squad player for Brighton in the coming seasons.
Milner has proven himself in the Premier League with multiple clubs. And Brighton will benefit from his winning experience, mentality and leadership qualities. It will be interesting to see if Liverpool can replace a player like him adequately when he joins Brighton.
Apart from his skills and qualities as a footballer, Milner brings a lot to the Liverpool dressing room. And Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has always been very vocal about his contributions off the pitch. The 37-year-old is one of the key members of the Liverpool dressing room.
In addition, he has been a mentor for a number of young players who have come through the doors at Anfield in recent seasons. Furthermore, his ability to speak multiple languages has allowed him to help the new signings settle in. There is no doubt that Liverpool will miss him in the coming seasons. So they must look to bring in a top-quality central midfielder with leadership qualities this summer.
