Former Leeds United man James Milner announced his retirement this week. The former England star has been on a long journey since starting out in West Yorkshire.
As a young player, Milner came up through the ranks at Leeds – he played just 48 games for the club but his impact was so great. Club chairman Gerald Krasner thought the midfielder was the future of the club.
Milner joined Newcastle United on a huge fee at that time. He went on to play for Aston Villa, before Manchester City signed him in 2010.
The midfielder had a lot of success with the Manchester club, before joining Liverpool where he also had more success.
At the tail end of his career, he joined Brighton, where he spent the last three seasons.
In that time, he has broken the Premier League appearances record, and played his 900th competitive game in club football back in March.
Leeds United club favourite tipped for Liverpool role
So far, the former Leeds United man has not stated what the next step in his career will be, but many have speculated that it will be a coaching role.
Former Leeds players Aaron Lennon and Jonny Howson are currently working with the youth groups at Thorp Arch, so Milner could make the move.
Dominic King of The Telegraph has suggested that Milner join the backroom staff at Liverpool if Andoni Iraola eventually joins the Merseyside club.
”There is an easy win in front of Iraola, if he wants to take it. It has been well documented that Iraola is going to bring Tommy Elphick with him when the time comes to formally announce he will succeed Arne Slot, but he is going to need more people around him.” an excerpt of his article read.
”Would it not make sense to at least speak to Milner? The value of having someone on the coaching staff who knows the fabric of the football club is huge for a new man and few know the values of modern Liverpool better than the 40-year-old.”
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James Milner has done his coaching badges
In an interview with talkSPORT earlier this season, Milner did admit that he has done his coaching badges.
But when pushed for an answer as to if he will enter coaching, he refused to give a straight answer.
He acknowledge how difficult it was to coach a team at Premier League level, citing how hard it was for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
If he does decide to go into a coaching role, where better to start than at your first football club. Fans and players will have a lot to learn from a player who has seen it all in English football.
