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Speaking to the Independent, James Milner has expressed his frustrations at Manchester City and explains why he switched to Anfield. The English midfielder joined the Merseyside club on a free transfer early in the transfer window after his contract with the Manchester side expired on July 1.
Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers had been eyeing the midfielder for quite a while and clinched the player’s signature for a reported weekly wages of £150,000 (Guardian). After the departure of Steven Gerrard to MLS side LA Galaxy, the midfield needed some addressing, and Rodgers zeroed it down on the English international. Milner made 125 appearances for City, scoring 18 goals for the side in all competitions.
I am boring James Milner: Milner
Lack of first team football and inconsistency in playing positions were the main reasons that drove Milner out of Etihad, where he won two Premier League medals, one FA Cup and one Football League Cup.
In his interview with Independent, he said, “I thought at times at City I won Player of the Month and then didn’t play for three, four or five games after,” he said. “I feel here if I play well, I’ll keep the shirt. It’s down to me. That role of filling in, more when other people aren’t available, playing all over the field; I don’t think it lets you show your best football.”
“They saw me as a big part of the club,” he said. “However, when we come to it, getting to finals and things like that, the default was for me not to play. That’s the way it was and I want to play as much as I can. I wouldn’t say so because I was at Man City for five years, I signed a contract for five years and I played for them for five years – I played every single position except for centre midfield so if that’s a lack of willing to fight for your place,” he expressed.
“Last year, the manager knew my contract was running down but he played me right to the last games of the season, so that shows what the club thought of me, and how much I gave to that club, and the fight I gave to that club”, he said.
“So, I would probably disagree. Some people may look at it the other way and say I was not willing to sit on the bench for half a season, I wanted to play every single game and fight for a shirt and play that way, and I couldn’t see that happening at Man City” he added.
He continued, “So you can look at it anyway you want, you can go away and write a story and twist it anyway you want to put it. We know how it works and I can only tell you my thoughts and see it as a positive, and other people can look at it as a negative.”
“You get labeled as a player – and I’m ‘Boring James Milner’, that’s the way it is,” he explained. “But I feel as though I can go and play like I did in that season at Aston Villa. I feel I am a better player now than I was then. So it’s a perfect opportunity to go and kick on with great players around me at a great club.”
James Milner will step out for the first time as Liverpool player when they play against Thai All Stars in Thailand’s Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok. Milner will play in his favoured position in the centre of midfield after being assured by Liverpool boss Rodgers as reported by the Independent.
