James Milner opens up on his knee injury fear and constant question of walking again

Former Liverpool player and current Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder, James Milner, has opened up about a freak injury that made him believe he might never walk on grass again. Following knee surgery, the player has been out of action for a long time, and with less than a month remaining on his contract, he shared how he felt during the ordeal.

Speaking about the surgery, the 40-year-old mentioned that the operation initially went well, and he expected to be back on the field by the start of December 2024. However, during the procedure, one of the nerves was damaged, affecting his mobility to the point where he couldn’t lift his foot or move his toes. He also revealed that he was able to move for the first time on the 31st of December. He said:

I had a knee operation and knee reconstruction, which was fine and I would have been back at the start of December

But in the operation a nerve got damaged. After the operation I couldn’t lift my foot or my toes. The first time I saw any flicker of life was the 31st of December

Speaking about what went into making his return to the pitch possible, James Milner expressed heartfelt gratitude to the medical staff and physio Sean Duggan for making the unbelievable a reality. He acknowledged that without their support, he would never have made a comeback. Milner thanked them for making his life better during one of the most challenging periods of his career. He also went on to applaud his teammates for their resilience, especially for turning things around in the second half of the final game of the campaign against Tottenham Hotspur. He said:

It’s been a long, tough road. The medical staff have been incredible, [club physio] Sean Duggan has been absolutely unbelievable. There was a chance I might not have come back at all. I didn’t know if I could walk normally again, never mind play football.

What record does James Milner is closer to? 

James Milner currently ranks second in all-time Premier League appearances, with 638 games to his name. He is only behind Gareth Barry, who leads with 653 appearances.