"I can see him" - Jason McAteer on James Milner's future

Former Liverpool player Jason McAteer has given his verdict on James Milner's future.

The Reds signed the midfielder from Manchester City on a free transfer back in the summer of 2015.

Since then, Milner has gone on to score 26 goals and register 44 assists in 289 appearances for the club's first-team.

However, the 36-year-old is out of contract at the end of June. Therefore, Milner's future is up in the air.

McAteer said that he could see the Englishman joining a club like Aston Villa if he is to depart Liverpool ahead of next season.

As quoted by HITC, he said the following on Liverpool’s YouTube channel during yesterday's trophy parade: “Massively important he stays at the club in some capacity.

"James is getting no younger although the numbers he’s churning out are phenomenal.

"I can’t see him going to a Chelsea or an Arsenal or a Manchester City. You know, maybe Aston Villa.”

Anfield Watch Verdict

It will be interesting to see where Milner's future lies. We would not be against Liverpool offering the midfielder an extension.

Milner did well as a squad player this season. He averaged a WhoScored player rating of 6.55 across the 2021-22 campaign (39 appearances).

The aforementioned figures highlight that Milner is still a very handy player to have around. You can never possess too many good footballers within a squad.

But, perhaps Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will move Milner on and give a youngster a bit more opportunity next season.

Only time will tell. The 2021-22 has only just concluded so we don't expect too much news on player movement in the next few days.

The season has been chaotic for Liverpool, so we don't expect any major decisions to be made anytime soon.