Why New Contract for James Milner Is Imperative for Manchester City

Manchester City have made giving their best players new long-term contracts a priority this season. Manuel Pellegrini, City's manager, and Txiki Begiristain, the club’s director of football, have been keen to tie down their biggest stars, handing out new contracts to Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Aleksandar Kolarov and Samir Nasri in the summer.

It’s a strategy aimed at bringing stability to City, which remains attractive to big-name players Pellegrini may target, while also helping them retain control over their most prized assets.

And in a recent press conference at the Etihad, Pellegrini suggested James Milner and Joe Hart would be the next two to pen new deals, saying deals were "very close."

"As you know, Joe wants to stay here. We also want him to be our goalkeeper so I hope it will be ready as soon as possible. I don’t think that we are going to have any problems," he said. "Milner, I hope that he will sign also. We will see, same as Joe in the next days. I don’t know how many days we can have this as official news. I suppose that also he will sign and continue here because he also wants to stay."

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Hart’s improved form has seen his hand at the negotiating table strengthened, but Milner, who has been one of City’s best players so far this season and has just seven months left on his contract, may be more important to tie down.

His versatility is arguably his greatest strength, which has been further underlined by Pellegrini’s assertion that Milner may well end up playing as a striker in the coming games because of City’s injury crisis up front, as reported by Joe Bernstein at the Daily Mail.

Against Chelsea earlier in the season, where Milner was Man of the Match, he occupied at least three different positions during the game, ending at left-back and providing City with real impetus down that side.

He's also played right-back, right wing, left wing and central midfield, and he makes a decent fist of them all. It’s an invaluable ability that often gets City out of holes.  

He is probably the fittest player at the club too. His obsession with training hard in order to go the extra mile on the pitch means he tends to run farther than his teammates, and it allows his commitment to tackling and chasing his man to come to the fore.

Indeed, his chasing back to nullify the threat of attacking opposition players has seen his stock with Pellegrini, who was unsure of Milner’s quality when he first arrived, rise dramatically this season. An insatiable desire to track back and help his full-back means he is the man for the big occasions.

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Yet it's his technical quality—largely overlooked by many—that has seen him stand out as one of City’s best this season. His range of passing, which allows him to switch play quickly and effectively, his desire to beat players and deliver dangerous crosses, and his one- and two-touch passing combinations with the likes of Silva that create space, are underrated aspects of his game that have become increasingly valuable to City.

City are likely to be doing everything they can to secure his signature, but until there's confirmation, the fans will remain somewhat nervous. His tenacity and his ability have made him a firm favourite with the club’s supporters, and they know only too well the 28-year-old has plenty left to give.

He’s playing the best football of his City career, and everyone connected to the club hopes his form will continue to light up the Etihad for years to come.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.