sport news James Milner's leaving Anfield but his incredible work ethic will help him play ... trends now

James Milner is a fitness fanatic who follows a strict dietary regime so the irony of the dinner to celebrate his signing for Liverpool won’t be lost.

In early 2015, with his contract running down at Manchester City, many clubs were pursuing him, one being Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeone is a fan and the idea of move to La Liga intrigued Milner, who taught himself to speak Spanish fluently so he could converse in City’s dressing room.

City didn’t want to lose someone who had played a key role in helping usher in an era of success at the club but they came up against a serious counter offer. Brendan Rodgers, having lost Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, was determined to take him to Anfield.

So one evening Liverpool’s then manager drove to Milner’s Cheshire home to make an ambitious pitch. Rodgers’ wife, Charlotte, accompanied him and her role was to explain to Milner’s wife, Amy, the sense of community in the squad for players’ families.

Rodgers’ plan, once the talking was done, was to take Charlotte out but the night went on so long — and so well — that, by the end, they realised almost everywhere local was shut. There was, though, one last option: McDonald’s. The pair were overdressed for the surrounds but it didn’t matter.

With Milner having given his word he would join Liverpool, suddenly the term ‘happy meal’ had a new meaning. And what a signing he proved to be, the best Bosman in Liverpool’s history. He has been a transformative figure, instrumental to all that has been achieved in the last eight years.

Milner would recognise he wasn’t the most talented player to be entrusted with Liverpool’s iconic No 7 shirt — plenty wondered, at that time, whether he should have even be considered to wear it — but his obsessive nature made him a perfect fit. Seven trophies, in due course, followed.

Though Rodgers never got the opportunity to work with Milner long-term, it took only a week to see the impact he could have. He was a particularly influential presence on Jordan Henderson, who had just been named club captain after Gerrard’s exit.

‘I remember when he came in, he said he wanted to win the Champions League here,’ Henderson recalls. ‘He doesn’t get the headlines but he is so important to a successful team and everything that goes on in the background that people don’t see. He is a world-class footballer. You can talk about him working hard and being a leader but he’s top, top level. The level of detail he goes to in order to ensure he is properly prepared is ridiculous. Doing the right things, eating the right stuff, creating the team environment, in the gym constantly.