Alan McInally believes James Milner would be in strong contention to claim Liverpool’s Player of the Season award had it not been for one teammate’s extraordinary campaign.
The Sky Sports pundit has hailed the Reds’ vice-captain for his contributions in arguably the toughest stages of the year.
Milner has been instrumental in leading his side to the Champions League final, notching a competition-record nine assists to compliment the prolific finishing of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.
He has similarly been influential in the fight for a top-four finish, putting in a monumental shift amid Liverpool’s injury woes.
“You can’t deny the fact that James Milner, if Salah hadn’t scored all the goals, has been the player of the season,” McInally said on Sky Sports, per the Express.
“In the big games, Milner has been incredibly exceptional.”
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Prevailing above Salah’s achievements promises to be a tough feat for even the two usual Ballon d’Or contenders in Spain.
The Egyptian remarkably finds himself just a goal away from breaking the Premier League record for most goals in a 38-game season.
He is also just four shy of equalling Ian Rush’s 47-goal haul across all competitions during the 1983/1984 campaign, forcing his way into the conversation among the club’s most prolific forwards.
Though Salah is the undisputed frontrunner for the Player of the Season accolade, Milner deserves all the plaudits he gets for another outstanding effort.