Former England midfielder James Milner joined Liverpool from Manchester City in 2015, and with his veteran and flexible style of play, he continued to respond admirably to his use at left and right back in addition to his main position in midfield.
After making the decision to leave Anfield at the end of last season without extending his contract with Liverpool, the player moved to Brighton on a free transfer. He will be teammates with former colleague Adam Lallana and Kaoru Mitomi, who had a breakthrough season last year.
More than utility, a potential loss for Liverpool is leadership within the team. The loss of the player who, along with Jordan Henderson, has been a role model on and off the pitch will have some impact.
He was also vice-captain of the team, and Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk is expected to be assigned to take his place. The Athletic’s James Pearce said that Egypt’s Mohamed Salah should also be treated as a leader.
“[James] Milner’s exit means there’s an important job going – collecting the fines when players are late for team meetings or the team bus. “
“There will also be a void in terms of a vocal presence who demands the highest standards from everyone around him.”
“[Virgil] van Dijk is set to be vice-captain but [Mohamed] Salah should certainly be added to that group. The Egyptian commands respect and leads by example with the way he goes about his business.”
Besides Van Dijk and Salah, Andy Robertson has been named captain of the national team, and Allison Becker has the ability to lead the team. Cody Gakpo was also a captain in his former team, and Thiago Alcántara has a great influence on the people around him.
In the near future, the biggest topic of discussion will be who will succeed Jordan Henderson as captain. Considering age and other factors, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Curtis Jones are the likely candidates, but who knows…?