James Milner has confirmed the promise of more playing time in a central midfield role was instrumental in his decision to leave Manchester City forLiverpool.
The England international was announced as a Liverpool player on Monday having joined Brendan Rodgers’ team on a free transfer on 1 July. Milner, who will wear the No7 jersey at Anfield, turned his back on Champions League football with the deposed Premier League champions plus a more lucrative contract extension at the Etihad Stadium to become Liverpool’s first summer signing on a £150,000-a-week deal.
Milner agreed to the Anfield move after being assured Rodgers would remain Liverpool manager following an end-of-season review conducted by the club’s owner, Fenway Sports Group. And the 29-year-old has admitted he was convinced to leave City by Rodgers’ willingness to hand him the central position that Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini could not offer on a regular basis at the Eithad.
“City are a great club and I had five great years there and enjoyed every minute,” said the former Leeds United, Newcastle United and Aston Villa midfielder. “The fans were brilliant with me the whole time there, and that made the decision difficult.
“I was lucky enough to win trophies and be part of a good squad there but, speaking to the club about what their plans were and where they saw me over the next few years at the club, and then speaking to the manager here and his plans going forward and for myself, I just thought it was the right thing for me to hopefully go and get more game time and be part of something special.
“I want to play football and play more centrally if I can – and that’s where the manager said he sees me playing. That’s a big thing for me coming to the later stages of my career. I want to play as much football as I can. When I’m sat at 45 and retired, I want to look back and see what I’ve done and that I’ve played games, rather than having come to the end of my career and tailed off.”
Rodgers wanted to sign Milner last summer when he first rejected City’s offer of a contract extension worth up to £165,000-a-week. The midfielder’s decision to join Liverpool in principle was announced after the manager had survived FSG’s inquest into last season’s poor sixth-placed finish in the Premier League. Milner says Rodgers was another telling factor in the transfer.
The midfielder added: “He was a massive part, to be honest. The club doesn’t need a lot of selling about what a great club it is, with all the history, the support and the squad they have. But speaking to the manager and what his plans were for me, things I’ve heard about him from other players – I was speaking to Stevie[Gerrard] at England and people like that – and what he said to me made me want to come and play for him straight away.”
Milner was followed into Anfield by Danny Ings and it appears increasingly likely that an independent tribunal will have to decide on the transfer fee payable to Burnley for their former striker. Liverpool and the Turf Moor club remain poles apart in their valuation of the England Under-21 international.Burnley want almost double the £5m that the Premier League side are prepared to pay.
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