{"id":1095422,"date":"2019-06-25T17:40:43","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T16:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1095422"},"modified":"2019-06-25T16:00:24","modified_gmt":"2019-06-25T15:00:24","slug":"footballs-best-team-player-james-milner-liverpool-louis-van-gaal","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/footballs-best-team-player-james-milner-liverpool-louis-van-gaal\/","title":{"rendered":"Louis van Gaal: ‘Football’s best team player? James Milner is fantastic for Liverpool’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Liverpool midfielder James Milner is one of football’s “best team players”, according to former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 33-year-old played a major role in the Reds’ success during the 2018\/19 season as they triumphed in Europe and narrowly missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City.<\/p>\n

The importance of Milner: Five things to know…<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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  1. Milner made 45 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions last season.<\/li>\n
  2. The majority of his starts came from central midfield, but he also played at full-back and left midfield.<\/li>\n
  3. The former Man City player also showcased his worth from the penalty spot, converting three Premier League spot-kicks and two in the Champions League.<\/li>\n
  4. Only five Liverpool players had more touches on the ball than Milner last season in the Premier League (1915).<\/li>\n
  5. Milner’s contract expires at the end of the 2019\/20 season.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    https:\/\/audioboom.com\/posts\/7297812-kieran-tierney-s-move-to-arsenal-almost-makes-too-much-sense<\/p>\n

    Former United manager Van Gaal, whose philosophy was built on the collective rather than the importance of individuals, is adamant team players can be the difference between success and failure.<\/p>\n

    Perhaps to the annoyance of Red Devil supporters, the Dutchman listed current Merseyside favourite Milner among the very top versatile players of the current era.<\/p>\n

    “One of the best is James Milner,” Van Gaal told El Pais<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    “In the Champions final, he played as a defender and midfielder. It’s fantastic that you can offer that at 33.”<\/p>\n

    In fact, Van Gaal is clearly an admirer of Jurgen Klopp’s side, who came close to ending their 29-year wait for a league title, only to eventually lose out to Pep Guardiola’s side.<\/p>\n