Milner: Central role key to move
James Milner insists that he made the move from Manchester City to Liverpool because he had grown frustrated of being used as a utility man at the Etihad.
Milner, 29, arrived on a free transfer on July 1 having spent five years at City. The midfielder had starred in a central role for Aston Villa when he was first signed in 2010, but City managers Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini both used the England international in a variety of positions, from right-back, to wide-midfield, to centre-forward.
The midfielder made it clear that he wanted a more central role and revealed that his move to Liverpool was based around the fact they could offer him a better guarantee of first-team football.
“I felt valued by the manager [at City] and the club and they saw me as a big part of the team on and off the field,” he told The Guardian. “But I was always going to be filling in and being that utility guy and doing a job for the team, and maybe this was the first time I’ve made a decision to be more selfish and thought what was best for me.
“I was thinking what could have happened had I kicked on from that one season at Aston Villa where I played centrally and what could have happened if I’d carried on like that. Who knows?”
Milner won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup at City, but was unhappy at being left out of vital matches — such as the FA Cup triumph over Stoke in 2011 when he didn’t even make it off the bench.
“Getting to finals and things like that, the default was for me not to play,” he added. “That was the way it is and I want to play as much as I can.
“I could have easily stayed at City and been there another four to five years, being around the club, helping us win things. But over the next few years I wouldn’t have played as much and my game time would have reduced.
“When I’m older I want to look back and say that I became the best player I could. Liverpool’s a great club to be an older member of the squad and help the younger guys along. There’s a lot of football left in me and hopefully I’ll be a part of a massively successful period.”
The midfielder admitted that it was a difficult decision to leave City, but believes that if he plays to his potential then he can make a spot in the centre of the pitch his own.
“City is also a great club to play football at. But ‘playing football’ are the key words in that sentence,” he said.
“There’s no guarantee that I’ll come here and play every game. I know it’s down to me. But I feel here at Liverpool — what the manager has said to me and where he sees me playing, he thinks my best position is in the middle [of midfield] as well — so it’s down to me to get in the team.
“I thought at times at City I won player of the month and then didn’t play for three, four or five games after. I feel here if I play well, I’ll keep the shirt. It’s down to me.”
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