Liverpool announced their first signing of the summer transfer window earlier this week, confirming the capture of former Manchester City man James Milner on a free transfer.
Lured by the promise of consistent first-team football, the tenacious midfielder found a swift resolution to his future after a number of seasons as a squad player at the Etihad.
The History
A local lad, Milner joined the Leeds United Academy at the tender age of ten. Following a six-year education in the youth system, he made his full team debut against West Ham United in November 2002, becoming the second-youngest player ever to feature in a Premier League fixture. Milner tallied 49 appearances and five goals during his two seasons at Elland Road and embarked on a brief loan spell at second division outfit Swindon Town to bolster his experience.
In the wake of Leeds’ relegation in 2004, Milner made the switch to Newcastle United on a four-year deal. Aside from playing in a novel position (Leeds predominantly fielded him on the left, but Newcastle stationed him on the right) Milner struggled to cement a starting berth. Under the stewardship of Graeme Souness, he mustered just 13 league starts in the 2004/05 campaign, before moving on loan to Aston Villa in the following season.
Having notched one goal in 27 league outings at Villa Park, Milner returned to Newcastle for the 2006/7 campaign and continued to thrive, demonstrating his now-trademark versatility by turning out stellar performances on both flanks for the Tyneside team. After serving up a total of 11 goals and 12 assists in 134 appearances for the Magpies, the industrious midfielder moved to Villa on a four-year deal worth around £12 million. Milner’s time at the midlands produced 20 goals and 25 assists across 122 appearances and saw him thrive in a central midfield role upon Gareth Barry’s departure to Manchester City.
Milner plotted an identical trajectory the following summer, signing for City in a £26 million deal. He spent five seasons at the club, chalking up 19 goals and 45 assists in 203 appearances across all competitions. By virtue of the fact he was never a guaranteed starter, Milner only surpassed the 2000-minute mark in his debut league campaign with the Sky Blues.
Since making his senior debut in a friendly match against Netherlands in August 2009, Milner has accrued 53 caps for England. His only international goal arrived in a 5-0 thrashing over Moldova during the Three Lions’ 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Prospects
Reports indicate that the promise of being handed his preferred role in central midfield was one of the chief reasons Milner elected to join Liverpool, amid reported interest from Arsenal. Indeed, with Steven Gerrard now out of the picture, the utility man looks likely to partner Jordan Henderson in the engine room, plugging the void left in the Merseyside legend’s wake.
Although Milner has admitted he favours a central berth, his versatility does enable the Reds to switch formations with greater confidence. For example, the 3-4-2-1 set-up that Rodgers employed during their mid-season 13-match unbeaten streak could see Milner switched to a wing-back role, a position that Henderson has also taken up.
With Raheem Sterling looking increasingly likely to move away from Anfield this summer, Henderson and Philippe Coutinho, with 162 and 138 points in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game respectively are likely to be the most popular candidates for Liverpool coverage in the opening Gameweeks.
Milner’s security of starts, however, suggest he could be another viable option. He tallied five goals and eight assists in just 1749 minutes last term, scoring at a much faster rate (373 minutes per goal) than both Henderson (573 minutes) and Coutinho (584 minutes).
Furthermore, in the last season that Milner was a consistent starter (2009/10) he carded 184 points for Villa, courtesy of seven goals, 12 assists and 35 bonus points. Clearly, then, if Rodgers hands him a regular role, we may well have to reassess Milner as a Fantasy option, after a frustrating period at City extinguished his prospects.
Valued at 5.5 at the start of last season, Milner is likely to be pitched around the 6.5-7.5 mark in FPL next term by virtue of his diminished rotation risk – which could be an enticing price point if he’s afforded license to push forward.
A by-product of his switch to Liverpool should see Jesus Navas further cement the right flank berth at Manchester City. The Spaniard was ousted to the bench for the last four matches of 2014/15 as Manuel Pellegrini handed Milner a starting berth in an attempt to persuade the England international to pen a new Etihad contract. Having signed off at City with two goals and an assist in his final three league outings, Milner is clearly one to monitor for the campaign ahead.
