Klopp impressed by Liverpool’s Milner as he gears up for 600th outing
As James Milner gears up for his 600th career appearance, his manager Jurgen Klopp admits he still doesn’t know what the versatile Liverpool star’s position is.
Milner made his debut for Leeds back in 2002, coming on as a substitute against West Ham to become the second youngest player to feature in the Premier League at the time, aged 16 years and 309 days.
He has gone on to play for Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City and now under Klopp at Liverpool – not to mention racking up 61 England caps along the way.
For his previous clubs Milner was used as a midfielder more often than not, but under his new German boss the 31-year-old has been reverted to a full-back.
And Klopp is full of admiration for Milner as he has hit the ground running in his new role at Anfield.
“He’s played a lot of different positions. Was he a winger? A half-eight? He played as a striker. He has adapted to a lot of positions in his life,” said Klopp.
“He has had a lot of good games in a new position. A lot of people were surprised but how we play that position is possible for a player like Milly.
“Six hundred, though! That’s a number and a few to come, that’s impressive. He doesn’t look like he’s played 600 matches – in a positive way.”
