OPINION
Michael Owen heaped praise on Liverpool midfielder James Milner and referred to him as one of the Reds’ unsung heroes of the season.
The pundit shared his admiration for 32-year-old central midfielder when predicting the Reds to defeat AS Roma in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.
“Mo Salah has scored in his last five CL games and is, correctly, lauded as the talisman of the Reds team but this a real team effort and I would like to mention one of their unsung heroes,” wrote Owen in his predictions for BetVictor.
“James Milner has provided eight assists in the competition so far this season – that is the joint-most ever in the tournament since the new format was introduced in 2003/4, the player Milner shares the record with is non-other than Neymar by the way.
“Gareth Southgate is reported to have tried to tempt Milner out of international retirement when he took over from Sam Allardyce – is it time to give him another ring?”
Milner is more than worthy of Owen’s praise, as the 32-year-old has been in tremendous form this season.
The experienced midfielder, aside from racking up eight assists in nine Champions League outings so far, has been his side’s engine in the 44 appearances he has made across all competitions.
Milner embodies everything a Liverpool player should be, the midfielder is hard-working, passionate and will leave it all on the pitch in order for his side to get the win.
While it’s true that Salah, given his prolific form this season, has a lot of fans dubbing him the Egyptian king, it’s clear to see that Milner is the true uncrowned leader at Anfield.
Jordan Henderson may have the armband, but when games are going against their side, it’s almost as if every single Reds player looks to Milner for inspiration, even when he is sat on the bench.
This is the true characteristic of a player that should be affectionately annotated the king of Anfield and it’s time that everyone, including Reds fans, placed the crowd firmly on the midfielder’s head.