11 December 2023 , 13:23
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Former Liverpool midfielder James Milner has lifted the lid on a tense dressing room bust-up between himself and Jurgen Klopp.
Milner, 37, moved to Merseyside in 2015 after leaving Manchester City and won a glut of silverware with the Reds, including the Premier League title and the Champions League. He now plies his trade for Brighton after moving south in the summer on a free transfer.
The veteran clocked up over 330 appearances during eight successful years at Anfield, seven-and-a-half of which were spent under Klopp. Naturally, though, there were also a few tense moments between them before he moved on for good earlier this year.
Milner outlined that he always had "a great relationship" with Klopp, but admitted that he once left the Liverpool manager so angry in the dressing room at half-time that he hit a table.
“He was pretty good, he was open,” Milner told The High Performance Podcast when he was asked to describe Klopp. “Not so at halftime; we had one moment where he was sharing his thoughts and I was sharing mine and I remember him smashing his hands on down the table and shouting, ‘Will you shut the f**k up!’ But Jurgen was brilliant, we had a great relationship and we were great off the pitch.”
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Despite the odd clash, Klopp never made any secret of how highly he valued Milner's ability and experience and was keen for the veteran to remain at Anfield beyond the summer.
Join the debate! Do you think Liverpool made a mistake letting Milner go? Let us know here.
James Milner infuriated Jurgen Klopp during one tense exchange at Liverpool (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)However, Milner himself revealed shortly before his Liverpool exit that the club hierarchy felt differently - and they had the final say on the matter. He said back in May: “It’s all good because the manager wanted to keep me – which as a player is what you want.
“Obviously the club decided a different way. In my head it felt like it could be a good time, so I’m content with how it’s all come about.
“It was probably about three weeks ago that I heard from the club. Because I hadn’t heard anything, in my own mind I had probably decided myself that I would be going. I will continue to play football, so yes I could be back in front of the Kop potentially. It’s an option.”