**James Milner has announced his retirement, and Liverpool fans have found an old clip which might make him a perfect youth coach as his next role.**
Milner broke the record for the youngest Premier League player when he came on as a 16-year-old for Leeds.
The midfielder has experienced everything as a player that a young player could be faced with. Loan moves to a lower division, big money transfers, position changes, being frozen out of the team and most importantly, building towards success and winning trophies. Milner shared his experiences in a previous [interview](https://x.com/thisisanfield/status/2061379623884136541?s=46&t=rLe6YXFjD9zFzopBvUMkdw) of working with younger players.
I do think Milner would also be an incredible pundit with his wealth of knowledge in the game and the quiet charisma that he brings to any situation in front of the camera.
Milner’s experience as a player in their position is bound to be encouraging for any young player. If he were involved in coaching at any level, from age-grade to senior level, he could be a really positive mentor for the youngsters adapting to their new environments. He came through in the time when it was still seen as crucial for young players to do jobs for senior players and earn their right to stay in that place. He has also seen some of the best young talents blossom alongside him.
Particularly in his time at Liverpool, he said this mentor role stuck out to him, saying,
“I think you want to help the young guys, and you want that confidence. On the field, you want them to be arrogant in a good way and have that confidence and belief, and you want to encourage that. Off the field, you want them to be down to earth and make sure that they are respectful.”
Milner has a clear understanding of how the game has changed and how different the pressures of being a professional footballer are. He added to his comments, “You know they will make mistakes. They’re kids, and they’re in a privileged position; they’re getting paid good money. It’s not easy, and hopefully we can help them learn before they make any mistakes.”
Milner always gave his best to everything that he did. He worked his hardest to provide the best results on the pitch. This was evident in his annual lactate results, with his running and fitness second to none among the top athletes in the Liverpool squad.
Through this unrivalled ability to aim for the highest standards, he knew that he could always ask more of younger players. This is something he could also bring into coaching.
“You want to encourage them, but they also might need a rocket here and there as well, and that’s our job to judge that and help them along as much as we can.”
Milner experienced a range of environments throughout his Premier League career, and his comments on the environment for young players training at Liverpool were, “There aren’t too many clubs better to be at than Liverpool.”
“The players they can watch every day in training and implement some of it into their own game.” If Milner did go into coaching, it is hard to know whether he would choose Liverpool, but the love and respect he has from Liverpool fans will make it one of the top choices when he comes to make that decision.