Windass: £140k/wk Premier League winner would not get in Leeds starting XI
Liverpool midfielder James Milner would struggle to break into the Leeds United side if he made an emotional return, according to Dean Windass.
Milner – on a reported £140k-a-week at Liverpool – has long been linked with a return to the club he started his life in football at as he enters the final furlong of his prestigious career.
Sine joining Liverpool in 2015, Milner has won numerous honours including the Champions League and the Premier League, but he has been a more peripheral figure over the last few campaigns, starting just three league games so far this season to add to the nine he made last season.
In an exclusive interview with footballfancast former Hull City striker Windass agreed that a move to Leeds makes sense in some regards, but that he might find opportunities hard to come by, saying “I think that’d be a good fit for him.
“But I think with James, he’d still want to play. And if he went to Leeds he won’t play, he will be just like he is now at Liverpool – a squad player.
“James will want to go on and play for an extra two or three seasons.”
Milner would be welcome addition
The lack of game time Milner has been given at Liverpool recently is no reflection of him as a player and he is still someone that has plenty to offer in the Premier League.
The Reds won the 2019/20 Premier League title after claiming the Champions League in the previous campaign and Milner came on as a substitute in that 2019 final, after starting the 2018 final against Real Madrid.
In the Liverpool midfield, he has had to content with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum, as well as this season’s summer signing Thiago Alcantara.
These are all-star names and the fact that he still appeared 37 times (in all competitions) for the runaway leaders last year shows how valuable an asset he still is.
Midfield is an area where Marcelo Bielsa lacks strength in depth so signing Milner would tick a lot of boxes.
Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich and Rodrigo have been the preferred starters this season with Pablo Hernandez as back-up but there is not many options, at least senior ones, past those.
Furthermore, Milner’s versatility would be of enormous help to Bielsa who has used players like Stuart Dallas in multiple roles to great effect.
Age is not on his side but Milner could still make a successful swan song at Leeds, something that most fans would love to see.
In other Leeds United news, see our view on the disappointing player who failed to live up to his billing against Crawley Town.