Jamie Carragher heaped praise on Liverpool midfielder James Milner and highlighted the fact he was keeping summer signing Naby Keita out of the team.
The Sky Sports pundit was asked which Reds player had the highest stamina rating in video game Fifa 19 and incorrectly replied Milner before raving about the 32-year-old.
Carragher responded to being asked whether Milner was underrated, in which he replied he was, and claimed that the central midfielder was currently in the best form of his life.
“He is,” said Carragher on Soccer AM’s YouTube channel when asked to guess Reds’ players Fifa 19 statistics.
“And I think the brilliant thing for him is that he’s still going into his thirties.
“He started when he was 16, normally when you start young, you finish a bit earlier than most other players, but I think he’s in the best form of his life.
“He’s had a few moves in his career, played really well in midfield at Aston Villa.
“At Manchester City, I always felt he was a squad player, picked up a few trophies but never really cemented a position there, but it feels like he’s done that at Liverpool.
“Keeping Keita out of the team, who’s a £50m signing – at that age, that’s a testament to the professional that he is.”
OPINION
It’s getting to the point where Milner needs to stopped being described as underrated as pundits simply can’t stop gushing about him. The veteran midfielder has shone in the majority of his 11 outings this season and is proven to everyone that age is just a number. Milner’s slick passing and ability to be his side’s midfield engine are making him border on undroppable and that’s must be frustrating for some of his new teammates. Carragher highlights that Keita, who has featured 10 times during the current campaign, is being kept out of the team and that it’s purely a reflection of Milner’s talents. However the 23-year-old, who the Reds spent big money on signing (£52.75million according to the Liverpool Echo), has only been able to show a glimpse of what he can offer so far. Whether this is because of Milner’s red-hot form is debatable as when giving minutes on the pitch, Keita has tended to waste his chance to impress. However the central midfielder is probably just taking time to settle into Anfield and Milner despite being in the form of his life, should look over his shoulder.
