Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that mainstay James Milner is available to face Manchester City on Thursday night.
The former England international has missed the Reds’ last two games with a hamstring ailment, but Klopp revealed at his pre match press conference on Wednesday, as cited by journalist James Pearce on his personal Twitter account, that the midfielder is back in training.
Milner’s return is a massive boost for Liverpool going into what is undoubtedly their most important game of the season to date, with a trip to Wolves to follow four days later that has the Reds as odds-on favourites in FA Cup betting markets.
Klopp confirms that Milner back in training and available to face City #LFC
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) January 2, 2019
OPINION
This is tremendous news from a Liverpool fan’s perspective. Milner is one of the most reliable players ever to grace the Premier League and you know that, even coming back from injury, if he’s selected against City he will put in a solid shift. Klopp does have a myriad of options in the middle of midfield so it will be interesting to see who he goes with. Milner’s selection could indicate that he’s looking to shore his team up defensively, whereas if Xherdan Shaqiri gets the nod it would suggest that the German is going all out to deliver a potentially fatal blow to the champions. Either way, it’s excellent for him to have Milner as an option once again. Just because the Reds haven’t necessarily missed the veteran in their last two games doesn’t mean he’s not important, it merely speaks to the strength in depth at Anfield at this moment in time. In fact, Milner’s importance likely means he will play some part on Thursday, even if it’s not from the start.
