Our Liverpool fans here in the Transfer Tavern are still bouncing after their two-legged demolition of Man City in the Champions League, and it highlighted a very good point out to the regulars in the bar.

The Reds captain Jordan Henderson missed the second leg through suspension and manager Jurgen Klopp made the shrewd move to bring in veteran and highly experienced James Milner into the fold. This paid off big time for the German and much of the post-match talk in among the darts team was that of, why Milner should be ahead of Henderson in the pecking order for next season.

Henderson has endured a tough time this season and hasn’t lived up to the expectations many set for him following his overtaking of Steven Gerrard’s captaincy.

With new arrival Naby Keita finally making his long-awaited move to Anfield this summer, the places for the centre of the park role heats up a little more under Klopp’s preferred 433 formation. With that said, our barman has been taking a look of a comparison between the two England men, and feels that £10.8m rated by Transfermarkt Milner should be getting the nod ahead of Henderson every day of the week going forward, and here are his two reasons why…

Versatile and reliable

Milner showed in the two legs what he has been doing for many a year under the radar, covering and helping out in whatever area of the pitch he is needed. The prime example is helping young Andy Robertson out on the left side consistently against Sane, Sterling or Silva and working in tandem together to aid the good of the team.

He may not be a firm fan favourite, however, Milner has shown over the years that whatever position you put him in, he will produce a solid 7 performance each and every week.

This reliability can only aid a team that has been so up and down this season.

Calmness

A certain calmness falls upon the former England international, he can cooly slot away a penalty when needed or pick out an assist for his team when the moments right.

He has a plethora of experience, and he uses every inch of it to guide himself and his teammates through the match. A captain needs that cool head, and in a team, with the heavy metal football mentality Klopp has instilled in it, this is a priority over everything else.

Going forward, the journeyman Milner would be a great leader and perfect man to have in the team week in, week out.