As a forward, I've never been convinced that Milner possesses either the technical ability, the skill, or the pace, to be anything more than a very good Premier League player. But as a central midfielder, and having watched him over the last season, I have to admit that in terms of English talent, and despite my preference for several other players, it could be argued that Milner would instantly become one of the best central midfielders in the team, alongside Fletcher and Scholes (who is, of course, due to retire very soon).
I should add that despite being impressed by his adaptation to the central role, and how that has allowed him to develop his game and broaden his role in the team, I don't see him as the real star quality that many people — myself included — believe that we could benefit from in the central area. So, I would still believe that a player of that type would be extremely beneficial even if we did sign Milner, though obviously not essential (largely because we already have a very good team, regardless of who we may or may not buy in the summer).
I've had to recognize my own bias towards foreign players (i.e. that which is not related to overall quality and effectiveness, necessarily), and also to be aware that I have a tendency to allow technical ability alone to cloud my judgment to the point that it actually causes me to overlook better players in favor of those who are technically superior, but far less effective, overall. I only say this because I genuinely have to fight against both, unless it's blatantly obvious the English player is really the better player, and I wonder if anyone else struggles with that (and whether that might cause them to overlook someone like Milner)?
Maybe it's something to do with the fact that I am so used to English players that it naturally creates a kind of mystery around anyone who hasn't played in this country, and perhaps that is paradoxically reinforced by the fact that I haven't seen the foreign player in anything like as many games, which somewhat irrationally causes me to favor the player that I have seen much less of (and also, heard and read much less about, which is important)! I suppose that it might even be a consequence of having seen more evidence of weaknesses in the English player, but that still isn't a good reason to prefer one over the other, even if it somewhat explains the caution towards the English player. And, of course, a high level of technical ability (broadly defined), when coupled with several other equally important qualities, usually defines the really high level players that can decide the outcome of games, so it certainly isn't something that should be ignored — quite the opposite, in fact.
Taking all of that in to account, then, I'm persuaded that Milner would improve our midfield in several ways, though not necessarily in enough of the areas that many people have in mind when thinking about which players we should be looking at this summer. And of those areas that he would improve, I'm not yet convinced that he would do so significantly. If, however, we were looking to re-organize the midfield with more than one player, Milner could be a very good, and perhaps in time, excellent, long term investment.
I should add that despite being impressed by his adaptation to the central role, and how that has allowed him to develop his game and broaden his role in the team, I don't see him as the real star quality that many people — myself included — believe that we could benefit from in the central area. So, I would still believe that a player of that type would be extremely beneficial even if we did sign Milner, though obviously not essential (largely because we already have a very good team, regardless of who we may or may not buy in the summer).
I've had to recognize my own bias towards foreign players (i.e. that which is not related to overall quality and effectiveness, necessarily), and also to be aware that I have a tendency to allow technical ability alone to cloud my judgment to the point that it actually causes me to overlook better players in favor of those who are technically superior, but far less effective, overall. I only say this because I genuinely have to fight against both, unless it's blatantly obvious the English player is really the better player, and I wonder if anyone else struggles with that (and whether that might cause them to overlook someone like Milner)?
Maybe it's something to do with the fact that I am so used to English players that it naturally creates a kind of mystery around anyone who hasn't played in this country, and perhaps that is paradoxically reinforced by the fact that I haven't seen the foreign player in anything like as many games, which somewhat irrationally causes me to favor the player that I have seen much less of (and also, heard and read much less about, which is important)! I suppose that it might even be a consequence of having seen more evidence of weaknesses in the English player, but that still isn't a good reason to prefer one over the other, even if it somewhat explains the caution towards the English player. And, of course, a high level of technical ability (broadly defined), when coupled with several other equally important qualities, usually defines the really high level players that can decide the outcome of games, so it certainly isn't something that should be ignored — quite the opposite, in fact.
Taking all of that in to account, then, I'm persuaded that Milner would improve our midfield in several ways, though not necessarily in enough of the areas that many people have in mind when thinking about which players we should be looking at this summer. And of those areas that he would improve, I'm not yet convinced that he would do so significantly. If, however, we were looking to re-organize the midfield with more than one player, Milner could be a very good, and perhaps in time, excellent, long term investment.