Jurgen Klopp’s omission highlights James Milner’s truth as Liverpool squad remains

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There has been a guard change of sorts in Liverpool’s midfield in recent weeks.

And not just because Harvey Elliott has bullied his way up the rankings after his season on loan at Blackburn Rovers.

After his impressive pre-season, the 18-year-old is in fact the only midfielder to have made all three of the Reds’ Premier League games so far this season, and his appearance may explain why Jurgen Klopp continues to believe in his current face. Options instead of finding a replacement for Gini Wijnaldum this summer.

Meanwhile, as Elliott finds his feet in the Premier League, captain Jordan Henderson is committed to his long-term future for the club until the summer of 2025, when the midfielder will turn 35.

Distributing new contracts has been the priority for Liverpool this summer with the Reds captain only the newest player, along with Nat Phillips and Reese Williams, to agree on new long-term deals, following in the footsteps of Elliott, Kawimhen Keeler and Trent Alexander-Arnold. , Fabinho, Alison, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.

READ MORE: Gary Neville just said exactly what Jurgen Klopp wants to hear about Liverpool

Elsewhere, Mohamed Salah is expected to be the player to sign an extension with reports suggesting he will become the highest-paid player in the club’s history when he puts his pen to paper.

However, for all of the new contracts, there was no talk of extensions to any of the players who are currently set to become free agents next summer.

In the case of Divock Origi and Loris Karius, that comes as no surprise given that the club was open to offers for both before the transfer window closed. Meanwhile, Adrian just got a one-year extension.

But when it comes to deputy captain James Milner, it suggests that his Liverpool career may be over.

Set to turn 36 in January, the midfielder started the Reds’ season opener against Norwich City but failed to make up the match-day squad against Burnley due to a knockout while also missing last weekend’s draw with Chelsea.

With critical experience, leadership skills and versatility, Milner remains a vital player for Klopp’s squad and one of the best physically as his mileage in every game and silence test results consistently prove.

But there is no escaping the fact that he has missed an increasing number of games due to severe injuries in the past two seasons, with Transfermarkt having missed 28 games due to various setbacks since the start of the 2018-2019 season.

In contrast, he missed only eight matches due to injury during his first three campaigns with the club.

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Such setbacks might have been expected given Milner’s age and lack of consistent beginnings. Once a constant presence when Klopp first joined, he was limited to 11 Premier League games last season, having picked up nine the previous year, as his playing time is managed and dwindling naturally.

He has fallen off Liverpool’s standings in recent seasons, even Klopp failed to mention when listing a plethora of midfield options ahead of last week’s Chelsea game.

“Last weekend doesn’t mean that Harvey [Elliott] He is now the savior of our midfield problem because we don’t have one,” the German coach told reporters. “If Jenny was still here, Harvey would probably not play this game.

“But he played and played well. Great. And I knew before this game there was a good chance he was going to play well but he did. We have others as well. Curtis Jones is 20 years old and he played 15-20 games last year. He can take the next step. And he will do it, and he must take it.

“Nabi Keita obviously hasn’t played a full season yet as exactly as he expected or we would have expected, but he always puts in really good games. The big games we won when he started and now he’s started this season twice. Would he have played if Jenny was still? Here?I don’t know clearly but maybe I don’t know.

“Then we have Thiago who hasn’t started a match yet. We have [Jordan Henderson] Who played only one of the games. have [Alex] Oxlade-Chamberlain has a dynamic that you can’t buy at the moment if you want to buy a midfielder. Maybe you forgot one. Ah, Fabinho of course!

“That is the situation. There is no need to buy a midfielder just because someone is in the market. I cannot help the fans who want us to sign a player just to get someone.

“We’ve done our job too, and now we have to be ready. If you’re really with us and really think about it, you’ll realize there’s no real need.

“If he’s the only player who can actually improve all the things we’ve talked about, we’ll pick him, I promise, if we’re going to see him.”

Now, his absence from Klopp’s roster could have innocently been due to his current condition as an injured player, with the Reds boss naming only his available players.

But regardless of whether it was just a minor oversight or a sign of injury, it shows his standing in the Liverpool camp is not what it once was.

With a weekly salary of £140,000 a week said to be taken home according to Spotrac, there is an argument that his return to playing time no longer calls for such a wage and it may be time to part ways next summer.

It was notable that when Henderson signed his new contract, he was offered that he could follow in Milner’s footsteps as the senior statesman in the locker room.

“Mili is an example for everyone in the dressing room and a huge example for the younger generation as well,” Henderson said. “It’s a bit back to the old school and I absolutely love it from Mielle.

“He’s very dedicated and professional, as we all know. It’s great to be on the training ground. But he’s a great player too and I think people forget that, even though he might be his age now, he can keep playing for another two, three or four years.” In terms of his physical form really.

“So what he wants to do is up to him. But every time he played last season – I know he’s recovering from a little injury now – but even before last season, when he played in matches, he was at the top level.

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“You don’t really see it falling. I hope he can continue on that path over the next few years, for sure.”

Make no mistake, says Henderson, Milner is by no means ready for a retirement home yet, and when that day comes, he will inevitably be an excellent coach if he so desires. There would certainly be no complaints if he was chosen to be part of Klopp’s staff when he retires.

But with his role on the pitch at Liverpool becoming an increasingly small part, both the player and the club face a difficult decision in the coming months as to whether he continues to play that role at Anfield or would be better suited to move and end his career elsewhere. As a regular first team.

Regardless of whether he moves next summer or at the end of a new one- or two-year contract, sooner or later Milner’s time as a Reds player will end, and Henderson will step into the role of the team’s biggest player with Elliott emerging as the centerpiece of Liverpool’s midfield.

And with the Reds’ deputy captain being just one obvious example of an aging squad, fans are calling for new signings in midfield and attack to continue challenging Man City, Manchester United and Chelsea.

However, this process is slowly happening right before their eyes.

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