Analyzing How James Milner Would Fit in with Liverpool

At this point, the only person who really knows where James Milner will be playing next season is Milner himself.

The Manchester City midfielder has been linked with summer moves to Arsenal and Liverpool.

Milner will be able to leave the Etihad on a free transfer as soon as his contract runs out in July.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini seems still to be clinging to the hope of keeping Milner in the squad for next year.

He spoke to reporters about the futures of Milner and fellow midfielder Yaya Toure at a news conference following City's 2-0 victory over Southampton.

"I think the only player that said goodbye was Frank Lampard," Pellegrini said. The Chilean manager also explained why he decided to substitute both players during the final fixture.

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Yaya returned in the last game after an injury. He finished very tired, he couldn't finish the last game and I didn't want him to have some muscle injuries. Milner has an important kick in his knee. That is why he couldn't finish the game.

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According to ESPNFC, City offered Milner a hefty four-year deal worth up to £165,000 a week in an attempt to keep the English international from leaving Manchester for free.

The decision on whether he stays or goes is Milner's alone. While no official decision has been made, there are several rumors roaming the news wire about the player’s future.

A recent report from the Daily Star claimed the British international has made up his mind and is bound for Anfield.

If that rumor turns out to be true, it should be interesting to see how Milner would adapt to Liverpool's system.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has used a variety of formations during 2014-15, but he seems still to be looking for one that really works for his squad.

From a 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3, then a 3-1-4-2, Rodgers experimented with a variety of different formations.

Closing in to the end of the season, he seemed to be split between a 4-1-4-1 and a 3-1-4-2 formation. Both of these formations require a strong midfield and creative players to build up the plays. Milner is a player who could thrive in either of these.

The City man has already proven he can create opportunities for his teammates as well as for himself.

Yet the question here would be where Milner would best fit these formations.

While many of the reports linking him to Anfield label Milner as the replacement for Steven Gerrard, these two have very different natural positions and skill sets.

Gerrard has built his legacy in Liverpool playing the central and defensive midfield positions.

Milner, on the other hand, is a player who likes roaming around the right side powering his team's attacking runs.

The 29-year-old has proven he can play in the center of the field. But using him on the right side would be a more beneficial option for Rodgers' side.

Liverpool has central midfielders like Lucas Leiva, Emre Can and Joe Allen, who can hold it down in the central and defensive midfield positions. However, they don't really have a natural talent for the right midfielder position.

Rodgers attempted to go around it by using wingers in the position, but that left a hole in the creativity process for a team that ended the 2014-15 season with only 52 Premier League goals.

Having Milner fill that right side would lead to more opportunities for forwards Raheem Sterling (who Rodgers claims will still be around next season) and for a healthy Daniel Sturridge.

The two speedsters would have more freedom to run channels and beat defenders chasing after Milner's precise through balls.

Guys like Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana would also welcome the help in the creative process.