Liverpool midfielder James Milner has raved over the professionalism of back up goalkeeper Simon Mignolet this season.
The Belgian international has seen his game time reduced to almost nothing by the arrival of Alisson last summer, but Milner has revealed that that hasn’t stopped the former Sunderland man from pushing himself every day in training.
“Someone who hasn’t been spoken about much this season, but Simon Mignolet,” he said, as per the Liverpool Echo. “It’s incredible how he is around the training ground, he has the best attitude I’ve ever seen in my life.
“Every single day, he pushes himself and pushes Ali and the boys to improve. Nobody will ever speak about him in the press because he’s not on the field, but he’s been so important for us this season. That’s exactly what you need, great characters. Even if you’re not playing as much as you would like, the characters in the dressing room are still standing up.”
OPINION
Milner’s right, Mignolet isn’t one you’re ever going to hear about because he’s a back up goalkeeper so he rarely plays. That automatically severely reduces the amount of plaudits you’re going to receive. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t be valuable to your team on the training ground and in the dressing room. It certainly seems as if Mignolet is having a hugely positive influence on everyone at the club. He knows he’s not going to be playing regularly with Alisson at the club, yet he continues to work hard and keep his spirits high. That can’t be easy for him, particularly when, by and large, he’s spent his entire career as a first choice ‘keeper. Suddenly this big money shot-stopper has come in and taken all his game time. You could understand if he was upset about it, yet he continues to maintain his professionalism. That needs to be applauded, and so Milner deserves credit for bringing it to people’s attention.
