Versatility Makes James Milner Ideal Transfer to Cover Steven Gerrard's Exit

About James Milner, there is one thing just about everybody seems to agree upon: He is not rated correctly.

The balance now seems to lie in favour of him being underrated, but there are still those baffled that he can be a regular both for England and, admittedly in a utility role, for the Premier League champions.

The issue is brought into focus by the fact his contract expires in the summer: Manchester City need to decide just how highly they rate the midfielder who turned 29 this week.

Milner rejected the deal City made last month and has been told there will be no improvement on that offer, something which suggests City still see him as little more than a useful reserve, able to step into a range of positions when required.

He has started 10 of City’s 20 league games this season, against 12 starts in the whole of last season—and made a further eight appearances from the bench—operating at the back of midfield, on the flank and even at centre-forward.

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The question really comes down to whether he can be seen as a first choice in any one position and the answer to that is probably no.

Yet in a sense that is part of Milner’s charm. It may be that privately he is frustrated he hasn’t tied down one position, but it’s impossible to tell from his performances.

He plays with equal gusto wherever he is asked, versatile and apparently uncomplaining. That makes him a huge asset for any club as the man who can be relied upon to fill any hole, but it’s easy to see why he would tire of that: It must be galling for a player of his quality to know if everybody else is fit, he will only be on the bench.

In that regard, it’s entirely understandable Milner—as he approaches his final contract at his peak—should be considering his future.

He’s won two Premier Leagues, an FA Cup and a Capital One Cup with City, but never as the heartbeat of the side: What neutral could blame him if he wanted to try to be the leader of a team?

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Arsenal reportedly made enquiries about Milner last summer, and he could certainly add discipline and bite to the back of their midfield, but Thursday brought a story from Oliver Kay in The Times (subscription required) which placed the England international top of Liverpool’s shopping list as they seek a replacement for Steven Gerrard.

It’s a move which makes sense on a number of levels.

For one thing, Brendan Rodgers has always tried to retain an English core to his side—and Milner has played well alongside Jordan Henderson for the national team.

For another, Milner seems to bring many of the attributes of Gerrard without some of the facets which have meant at times he hasn’t seemed the right fit for the role he has been asked to play over the past two seasons.

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That’s not to say that peak Milner is as good as the player Gerrard was at his best, but he may be of more use to Liverpool right now.

Milner doesn’t get the goals Gerrard does, isn’t as adept at set plays, doesn’t have the capacity for long, sweeping passes, but it is rather easier to imagine him sitting diligently in front of the back four, protecting space, tracking runners, playing simple short passes, allowing Henderson to do the box-to-box shuttling alongside him—not because he’s incapable of it but because he accepts the discipline of a defensive-midfield role.

Gerrard was always a 1980s midfielder trying to adapt to the tactical systems of two decades later, occasionally trying to do too much himself—often at Liverpool because he had to.

That did produce some memorable successes—in the Champions League final of 2005 and the FA Cup final of 2006, for instance, but it became problematic when he was asked to play the deeper role.

Is Milner an upgrade on Gerrard? No, but he may be more what Liverpool need right now.