Milner is ‘honoured’ at becoming vice captain and happy to be playing alongside Phil Coutinho
It was a move that many had suggested as soon as Milner had signed but not many could have predicted that the Manchester City man would end up as Reds vice captain a mere two months after signing for the club.
While there are other candidates who perhaps had an argument for becoming Henderson’s deputy, few can argue that Milner will make the step up, when required, and the midfielder has spoken of his pride at being named LFC vice captain.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com, Milner said: “It’s an amazing honour. Liverpool is an amazing club to be at.
“I don’t think it will change my role in any way; you need a lot of captains, vice-captains and leaders and people who are going to talk and help each other out.
“But it’s a great honour and hopefully I can help the younger guys along, because there is so much young talent here as well.”
Milner arrived at Anfield with a reputation as a hard working, 7/10 type of player and Liverpool were more than happy to ensure the player felt wanted at the club. By giving him a central midfield spot that he often missed at the Etihad, and now making him vice captain, the club have certainly done just that. And Milner clearly believes he can offer a lot, particularly to younger players.
The former City man had a solid game at Stoke on Sunday, adding some much needed grit and work ethic to the Reds midfield. He also got his first close up glimpse of how it feels to play alongside one of the best players at the club.
Milner continued: “I obviously saw him do it a few times last year – so to do it when he was on my team was nicer!
“That’s what the game needed. It was a tough game, a battle; I thought we defended really well. It was going to take a moment of brilliance to win the game and we managed to get that.
“Not just being the first game of the season, but obviously with what happened in the last game of last season, the boys showed great character.
“It’s never an easy place to come and especially for the first game of the season. The crowd is always good here and they were obviously going to be up for it.
“Any time you can walk away from here with three points, it’s a great result.”
Can Liverpool push on and have a successful season with new signings such as Milner? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
