BBC Sport pundits Steve Sidwell and Pat Nevin have praised Liverpool midfielder James Milner as being ‘a manager’s dream.’
The 32-year-old made his 500th Premier League appearance as the Reds thrashed Bournemouth 4-0 on Saturday, and Sidwell and Nevin are clearly big fans of the former England international.
“Reliable, isn’t he?,” Sidwell said on BBC Radio 5 Live. “He’s a manager’s dream. Low maintenance, gets on with his job. A manager would love to have eleven of them. He’s a credit to the profession.”
"He is a manager's dream" – @sjsidwell
"I adore him so much" – @patnevin
A LOT of love for @JamesMilner who could make his 500th Premier League appearance this weekend. pic.twitter.com/mv1HCXNc5v
— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) December 7, 2018
Nevin added: “If it wasn’t for the God-like genius of David Silva I would say he’s probably my favourite player playing just now in the Premier League. I adore him so much for what he’s done.”
OPINION
Milner is an extraordinary footballer. He’s never been the most talented player in the Premier League but he has maximised his ability to the absolute limit. He’s played for some huge clubs: Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Manchester City and now Liverpool, and that’s testament to how good he’s been for such a long period of time. 500 Premier League appearances is a stunning achievement for anyone, and Milner has been consistently excellent throughout that period. He also seems to have aged very well over this latest period of his career. For City and particularly Liverpool he has been as good as he’s ever been. He remains a hugely important player to Reds manager Jurgen Klopp despite now being 32 years of age. He has been a tremendous servant to English football and deserves all the credit in the world for what he has achieved. There’s still time for him to rack up another 100 or so appearances so let’s see what he can do over this final stage of his career.
