Milner considers England future
Liverpool midfielder will hold talks with Allardyce England manager to push for two-week winter break
James Milner is considering his future with England and will hold talks with Sam Allardyce next month.
Milner has revealed he could retire after the Euro 2016 debacle and is ready to discuss his situation with the new England manager after growing frustrated over a lack of involvement.
Seven years after his senior debut, Milner believes the time may have come to step aside and concentrate on his club career with Liverpool, allowing Allardyce to build a new squad using younger players. The 30-year-old was barely used by Roy Hodgson in France this summer, playing three minutes against Russia, while his only involvement in the 2014 World Cup was a dead rubber with Costa Rica.
“Over the last couple of years with the England team I have not really played too much,” he said. “With the good young players we have coming through, it is pointless me taking up a spot just because I am reliable.”
It is perhaps typical of Milner’s selfless attitude that he feels prolonging his international career would block the progress of younger players. His reliability, and willingness to play in so many different positions, has also arguably been underappreciated over the years. But with another World Cup qualifying campaign on the horizon, this could be an ideal time to bow out.
“I am fortunate to have been involved in international football since I was 17 or 18 without stopping. I was with the under-21s and went [straight] through, so I have played more than 100 games,” he said. “I’ve been to four tournaments but if a younger guy had come in and maybe done the same job at Euro 2016 he would have taken a lot more from it than I would.”
Milner played under Allardyce at Newcastle and believes the appointment will help rebuild England morale. Allardyce’s man-management skills did not go unnoticed by Milner and he is looking forward to discussing his prospects when he returns from Liverpool’s tour of the United States. He said: “I am happy it is Sam as I know I can have a good conversation with him and it will be honest. That is all I ever wanted.”
Even now he seems unable to escape the ‘versatile’ tag. Jürgen Klopp has admitted Milner could be used as an emergency left-back after failing to sign Ben Chilwell from Leicester City. How does Milner feel about that?
“I’m just looking for goalkeeper now to complete the set. It’s like hunting Pokemon, it’s the only one I need!”
Allardyce, meanwhile, will push for a winter break after the Football Association’s technical director Dan Ashworth claimed there was no longer anyone blocking its introduction.
Allardyce has passionately argued for a winter break for more than a decade and claimed he has all the statistical evidence needed to prove that it will benefit the national team. At Sunderland last season he drafted a plan, with a two-week break after the FA Cup third round in January.
The changes he believes will be needed are for the season to start a week earlier and for the League Cup semi-final to be played over one leg rather than two. FA Cup replays, though, could also be at risk.
Allardyce was too diplomatic during his first week as England manager to pick an argument with the Premier League or his new employers, but he will campaign hard behind the scenes to bring English football into line with the rest of Europe.
“I know most of the managers I speak to would say we’ve wanted the break for a long, long time,” said Allardyce. “And if it meant extending the season that bit longer then so be it. I won’t push for it harder [in public], it will put too much focus on me for the wrong reason. We can talk behind the scenes and see what we can do.”