The making of Milner?

Liverpool’s EFL Cup tie with Leeds United stirs special memories for James Milner. With help from one of his former team-mates, Nick Wright examines how a difficult period at Elland Road helped shape his career…

James Milner was 16 years and 356 days old when he became the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history. His darting run and near-post finish helped Leeds to a 2-1 win over Sunderland on Boxing Day in 2002, with manager Terry Venables predicting a bright future ahead. “It’s not just a case of him coming through and helping out,” he said. “Every day he is getting better and better.”

The record was broken three years later, but Venables was proven right about Milner. The young winger scored his second goal just 48 hours after his first, hurdling a challenge from World Cup-winner Marcel Desailly and curling home an unstoppable shot in a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Elland Road.

It was the beginning of a long, fruitful career. Milner’s blend of tenacity and versatility may not be glamorous, but he is now targeting his third title in his 15th consecutive season in the Premier League. He has amassed nearly 600 appearances for five of the country’s biggest clubs, and his reinvention as Liverpool’s left-back suggests he has a long time left at the top.

Milner’s importance to Jurgen Klopp’s side means he is unlikely to start against his boyhood club on Tuesday, but it is still a special occasion for Liverpool’s No 7. Milner was a local lad who joined Leeds at the age of 10. He was only 18 when they were forced to sell him to Newcastle, but those fleeting years in the first team were the making of him.

Former defender Michael Duberry remembers when he made the step up. “He was this little spotty-faced kid who had a lot of energy,” he tells Sky Sports. “He was a good crosser of the ball, he was fast and he kept his head down. You noticed him on the pitch but you didn’t really notice …

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