Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has claimed that Reds midfielder James Milner won’t be leaving the club this summer.
The 33-year-old is regularly linked with a return to first club Leeds United, perhaps more in hope than expectation, but Nicol is adamant he knows where the Englishman’s future lies.
“Absolutely no chance that James Milner goes absolutely anywhere whatsoever, other than in his car, drives to Anfield and signs a new deal,” he told ESPN FC, as per the Daily Express. “It would be absolutely crazy.
“He’s been a huge part of this year, again. Regardless of his age, Liverpool will need him next year – maybe not to play as many games, but certainly he will be needed for cover all around the field.”
OPINION
There surely aren’t too many people who genuinely believe Milner is going to leave Liverpool this summer. The veteran midfielder has been a huge player for the club ever since he joined from Manchester City, and is just as important now as he’s ever been to the Reds. He’s a wonderful footballer and a phenomenal professional, so it’s worth keeping him around even as he enters the final stage of his career. Plus, it’s not as if he was poor this season. On the contrary, Milner was once again one of Jurgen Klopp’s most consistent players. He’s a leader and is undoubtedly a vital part of the Liverpool dressing room. For all those reasons and more it’s highly unlikely that he will be leaving the club any time soon. Leeds’s failure to secure promotion back to the top flight likely ended any slim chance of Milner departing Anfield this summer.
