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When Albion start at Bournemouth, is Milner on the pitch?

It was shot just after Stefanos Tzimas had scored and shows James Milner interacting with the away section.

He points at the pitch a couple of times, shrugs his shoulders as if to say “what happened?” and then jogs away smiling.

While concentrating on his own game, organising team-mates and generally running midfield, it seems Milner had picked up on the song coming from the Seagulls supporters a few minutes earlier.

“If Tzimas scores, we’re on the pitch,” they had been singing.

So, while not wishing to incite a pitch invasion of course, it looked like he was playfully asking those fans in the stand: “Why aren't you out here?”

Now the question which might be asked as [Albion](https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/albion/) go to Bournemouth might be a bit different: When Brighton start, is Milner on the pitch?

There appears to be a case for the vastly experienced midfielder to be out there from kick-off.

That would be in combination with one of the more attack-minded midfielders, probably Yasin Ayari or maybe Diego Gómez.

Jack Hinshelwood and Carlos Baleba are, of course, strong candidates for that role.

No one doubts the ability of both of them, although Baleba has been a bit disappointing of late.

While saying the Cameroon star has not been affected by transfer talk, Fabian Hurzeler has also said he was looking forward to the window closing.

Those statements look more contradictory put down together in black and white than they sounded at the time and in separate press conferences.

Baleba cannot afford to be unsettled by transfer talk because it will never go away.

It just becomes about what will happen when the next window opens.

Is this the time to test that theory - at a venue where, coincidentally, Baleba has the bad memory of being sent off last season?

Or does Milner use his influence out there in the middle from the start?

It will be fast and intense at Bournemouth, a venue where players must feel the crowd is almost in top of them or breathing down their necks.

Speaking at Oxford, Milner described himself and other experienced players as a “cheat code” to help the youngsters develop quickly.

After he went on to help them beat Manchester City, Hurzeler spoke in terms of him being a coach on the pitch.

Which brings us to where it all started for the two of them - in the summer of 2024.

Milner was captain in pre-season and then part of Prem wins against Everton and Manchester United.

At that stage it felt like Hurzeler was building a team around d him.

At other points as the season progressed, it felt like we might never see him in an Albion shirt again.

It’s an option - to give the longest-serving current player in the Prem only a fourth league start under the current boss.

And it is one which it least worth considering right now.

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