Dependable and consistent - Milner set Klopp's foundation
· Yahoo Sports
James Milner had his best years at Liverpool because, quite simply, he made a bigger contribution to the club's biggest period of success than at any other club.
He was fantastic at Manchester City under two managers and while he was a Roberto Mancini man, he never felt quite like a Manuel Pellegrini man, before Pep Guardiola came in and gave them their most successful years.
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At Liverpool, 323 of his 332 appearances coming under Jurgen Klopp says everything you need to know about whose man he truly was.
It's telling that this season, while the Reds have been accused of lacking leadership on the pitch, Milner's named has been mentioned alongside Jordan Henderson's, Adam Lallana's and more.
He's often damned with the feint praise of being merely a 'Mr. Consistent', utility man-style player, but he was somebody who embodied exactly what Klopp was trying to impart onto his footballers.
A large part of that was the relationship with the fans, and Milner felt that when he held the six fingers up in celebration to the fans seven years ago to this day when his team won the Champions League in Madrid for the sixth time.
One of Klopp's greatest quotes was when he spoke of respecting the club's history but not wearing it in their backpacks, and nobody had a grasp of that better in that moment than our Yorkshire-born midfielder.
He got it, right down to displaying his disdain towards Manchester United on an overheard part of a Gini Wijnaldum livestream as the players prepared to lift their 19th league title.
It's 20 now, but Milner was every part of setting the foundation for all the success we've been lucky enough to see over the past decade.
Records were broken aplenty by that side, and he specifically goes away with one of the biggest individual accolades for the consistency he showed, as the Premier League's record appearance maker.
It's a testament to his consistency and utility, but also to the standards he set that a few teams can even feel like he's one of their own.
Find more from Josh Sexton on outlets including The Anfield Wrap