Liverpool star hopeful of a new contract: What should the Reds’ play be here?

Experienced Liverpool midfielder James Milner wants a new contract at the Merseyside club and extend his stay with the Champions League holders. In a recent interview, Milner revealed that he wants his future to be sorted out soon and that he wants to stay at the club.

The Englishman has been a part of Liverpool since 2015, joining the Reds from Manchester City on a free transfer. Milner has been a good addition to the Liverpool squad, having racked up nearly 200 appearances for the club, scoring 25 goals and providing 39 assists in the process.

Milner’s contract at the club expires at the end of the season as the five-year deal that he signed when he joined the club, comes to an end. The 33-year-old has won the Champions League once with Liverpool, as well as two runners up medals in Europe, once in the Champions League and the other in the Europa League.

James Milner: What should the Reds’ play here be?

Milner has proven to be a canny acquisition over time, both as a player on the pitch as well as a leader in the dressing room. The experienced campaigner has played in several positions for Liverpool in addition to his natural midfield role, covering for injured full-backs and also playing as a winger.

The former Manchester City midfielder is not first-choice in midfield, but is a useful player in cup competition when manager Jurgen Klopp shuffles his players around. His experience is invaluable given his varied stints in the Premier League and especially his previous Premier League winning seasons under difficult circumstances with now arch-rivals, Manchester City.

Liverpool need a lot of Milner’s inputs given the exertions of last season and potentially this season as well, as they chase the elusive Premier League trophy.

The Englishman is a good distributor of the ball, and even at 33, has the energy to press and close down opponents as well as run with the ball. He is a good backup option for Jurgen Klopp if the German manager decides to rest one of the three first-choice central midfielders – Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, and Naby Keita and also someone who has a calm head on his shoulders and can help secure leads as a substitution in the latter half of the season.