Player of the season for me despite defence being our biggest issue ( IMO). He has had only a couple of poor games and delivered a consistantly good standard of performance, up and down the line like a Trojan. He's linked up brilliantly in attack , not to mention his pens.
His performance may not be as eye catching as others. I think he is well equiped to give us another year . The default position appears we need a new left back, as cover and challenge to Milner yes, but he is first choice in my back. Our other full backs fall way short of the standard Milner has set.
Absolutely. Couldn't agree more. At the same time, couldn't agree less with the default position, which seems to be "Milner can be a great back-up next season" or Milner "does a job until we get a left-footer to play there".
People are completely missing the quality of Milner's game there, which you outlined above. As I said in a previous post, have people forgotten Jamie Carragher in 2000-01, or World Cup winner Philip Lahm?
Hate to give examples from the other end of the East Lancs Road, but Phil Neville won six titles with that lot, most of them as a (right-footed) left-back. Oh, and guess who his predecessor was in that number three shirt, the winner of not six but seven league titles? A certain (right-footed) Denis Irwin.
Mr Ferguson didn't mind a right-footer playing in that position for more than a decade of their most successful (thankfully now historical) era, did he?
So, let's not all be too disappointed if Kloppo goes into next season with James Milner as his first choice in that position.