James Milner gestures to the fans at the end of the Premier League match and his final home game for the club at Anfield, Liverpool. Picture date: Saturday May 20, 2023.

James Milner reveals club overruled Jurgen Klopp on contract talks

After turning out in a Liverpool shirt at Anfield for the final time, James Milner discussed where the key decisions came from ahead of his upcoming exit.

The 1-1 draw against Aston Villa was the last time Milner will play at home for the Reds in what was an emotional afternoon for a number of senior players.

The midfielder replaced captain Jordan Henderson with 20 minutes to play as he helped his side steal a late point having gone a goal behind to an early Jacob Ramsey strike.

Speaking after the game, the 37-year-old indicated that manager Jurgen Klopp was keen to extend Milner’s stay on Merseyside but the football club ultimately took the decision out of his hands.

“I think it’d be a shame to stop when you’ve still got a bit of life in you. Jurgen Klopp‘s a pretty good manager, so that he wanted me to stay is pleasing,” Milner told LFCTV during their post-match live stream.

“I haven’t started a load of games this year, but I feel I’ve contributed. I still feel like I can come on and make an impact.

“I still want to contribute to a team. You should play as long as you can, hopefully I can do it for a bit longer yet.

“The club obviously made their decision on that. It’s nice I’m in a position where the manager wanted me to stay, but it got to the point where I got to terms [with it].”

It was an interesting piece of insight from Liverpool’s vice-captain, with his departure only confirmed a matter of days before the Aston Villa clash.

The club opted to cut the quotes from the video on LFCTV, but the clip has since been circulated on Twitter.

It brings to an end a glittering eight-year spell with the Reds in which he collected every major medal available to him, ending the club’s three-decade-long wait for a league title in 2019/20.

Klopp’s desire to keep the midfielder at the club was highlighted earlier this season after it was revealed that Milner was offered a coaching role to join the manager’s backroom staff.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, May 20, 2023: Liverpool's James Milner during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

The veteran is second only to Roberto Firmino in terms of all-time appearances under the German, with the Brazilian also experiencing his Anfield farewell on Saturday afternoon.

Milner’s next destination is yet to be confirmed, with recent speculation linking him with a switch to Brighton in the summer.

The Yorkshireman stopped short of disclosing any information regarding his future but did suggest that he could find himself back at Anfield one day:

“It was a special moment. I’ve been lucky to have a pretty good time here. It is a special place. I might play here again, who knows.”

Fans got the opportunity to say goodbye to a genuine club legend, who will be sorely missed both on and off the pitch when he departs at the end of the season.