GIVE US A BREAK!

Milner condemns ‘ridiculous’ schedule and calls for top players to have every other summer off

JAMES MILNER definitely concurs with legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly that the league is a marathon not a sprint – but one that is now burning out the top players.

At the age of 37 and moving on from Liverpool for a new challenge, almost certainly with Brighton, Milner is indefatigable, almost a freak of nature considering he made his Premier League debut for Leeds United at the age of 16 years and 309 days.

But in his footballing dotage he doesn’t have the extra demands of the international game to contend with unlike many of his teammates. He believes a relentless global schedule is impacting on the top stars through exhaustion and a succession of injuries.

As he prepared for his final appearance in a Liverpool shirt, against Southampton today, he maintained: ‘Football is so full-on. It’s all the year round now. You look at athletes and they are trying to compete for the Olympics or the European Championships which comes around every four or two years. It’s impossible to be always at your peak no matter what and it’s how you deal with the times when your physical levels are not quite there. You are just a bit out of form or certain players are out of form.

‘The team that does that best ultimately wins the title or trophies and is successful. At Liverpool we haven’t dealt with those situations as well as we would have liked this season but last season we were so close and probably ran out of a bit of steam when we were so close to winning everything.

‘That’s football and sometimes that gets overlooked in terms of how it’s all the year round now. For the international boys it’s ridiculous. There are international tournaments in the summer so they are playing games then instead of having time off. That’s the hardest part of it all.’

Inevitably, he adds, something has to give when the big players are flogged almost to a standstill.

‘Yes I do think the workload is unfair on the leading players,’ he said. ‘Every other year there shouldn’t be an international tournament and players should be given the full summer off for sure. How long can this go on? The intensity and the number of games…

‘That’s something I would do for sure — have every other summer off — and then you can go as full-on as you want over the season but give them a break otherwise where’s it all heading?’

So where’s Milner heading following his successful spell on Merseyside? He wasn’t prepared to confirm anything but what is certain is that he is remaining in the Premier League, giving him the opportunity to overhaul his big mate Gareth Barry’s 653 appearances, the most in the league’s history.

Milner lies in third place on 618 just behind Ryan Giggs with 632. ‘I haven’t been thinking about that to be honest,’ he added. ‘Records and things like that I think you look at when you’ve finished playing. While you’re playing it’s just onto the next one, then the next one.

‘People now keep on mentioning it so it will be in my head. Now that it’s pretty close, yes it would be a nice one to get. I know Gaz very well and he was an incredible player and professional.’

Having won virtually every major honour it seems incredible that Milner has the hunger to go again in another environment next season, and in the future coaching and management might be an option.

He said: ‘Some days you think I’d love a go at management and then other days you see a manager sign a new contract and six weeks later they get sacked and you think maybe the golf course is a better option!

‘I’ve been very fortunate to play under some unbelievable managers — some poor ones as well so you can learn from them as well.’

That will be placed on the back burner for now as Milner remains an active player.

‘I’m still very driven to do what I can and play as much as I can and contribute to a club and win trophies.

‘The drive is still there even though I’m content with what I’ve done. I could always do more.’.