‘Criminally underrated’: Trent Alexander-Arnold says Liverpool have a player who deserves so much more credit

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Trent Alexander-Arnold has named James Milner as one of the best technical players he’s ever shared the pitch with.

Speaking to The Athletic, Alexander-Arnold was paying tribute to Milner ahead of his potential move away from Anfield, and he says that he’s one of the most underrated players he’s ever seen.

Indeed, the full-back says that Milner is sometimes typecast into this ‘workhorse’ mould, but he claims that he’s actually one of the best players around from a technical standpoint as well as being an incredible leader.

Milner underrated

Alexander-Arnold gave his verdict on the Liverpool midfielder.

“He’s a criminally underrated player. Some think of him as just a workhorse who will do his job. But, technically, James Milner is among the best I’ve ever played with,” he says.

“Then there’s everything else he brings to the squad with his leadership. He’s truly relentless in everything he does. I’ll definitely never play with anyone like him again. That’s probably the biggest compliment I can give him.

“We will all need to fill that big gap. I don’t think it’s just down to a single person. All of us need to step up and ensure that we maintain the standards that Millie has set for the past eight years here.”

Perennially underrated

The sad thing is that this view of Milner isn’t something that’s emerged recently, he’s had this label attached to him for his entire career.

Perhaps it didn’t help that he was tied to Gareth Barry, the most stereotypical workhorse midfielder in Premier League history, for so long, but Milner has never really had the respect he deserves.

He’s won all there is to win in this game, he’s starred for multiple clubs, and he’s been doing this for 20 years.

You don’t get this far on just hard work. He’s remarkably talented and he deserves recognition for his abilities.