Last summer, Jurgen Klopp was already putting motions in place to sustain the longevity of his Liverpool squad. In a series of emotional farewells, the Liverpool boss said goodbye to several key players – who were integral to his success at Anfield.
Among them were both the club captain, Jordan Henderson, the vice captain James Milner, and the likes of Roberto Firmino. As well as key squad players like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita.
Klopp may not have wanted all those players to leave. But the Reds needed to build for the future. And for that reason Klopp had to launch his 2.0 version. A version which does not include a player who was simply ‘not normal’ according to Micah Richards.
Micah Richards on James Milner
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, Richards waxed lyrical about former Liverpool midfielder – James Milner. Describing him as a player who is simply ‘not normal.’
“James Milner is not normal,” Richards said.
“He was winning the runs when he was like 30 odd and he was still winning runs when he was at Liverpool. I’m sure he’d still be winning them at Brighton. He’s not normal, he’s a machine. Give me that fitness and I’d be one of the greatest players ever!”
Richards was obviously teammates with Milner at Manchester City, so he will have seen just how fit he was first hand. But we ourselves as fans have also seen plenty of evidence of that in a Liverpool shirt. It is a testament to his fitness level that he is still going strong at Brighton right now.
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