Manchester City midfielder James Milner is growing frustrated at the Etihad…
Manchester City and England midfielder James Milner has reiterated his frustration at a lack of first-team opportunities with the Premier League champions, a situation he believes is caused by those around him.
SEE MORE:
Top 50 best footballers in the world 2014/15
Hottest TV presenters: Most beautiful sports show hosts in the world!
Best teenagers in world football
According to the Daily Mail, Milner, who has struggled to cement a starting spot for club or country over the last year, believes he suffers for not sulking, and claims more mouthy teammates find their way into the team ahead of him.
Milner admits that his professionalism and lack of sulking could have hindered his fightback, while more volatile teammates started ahead of him, but the 28-year-old says that he will always do what is best for the team, rather than himself, even if it counts against him.
The former Aston Villa man won his 50th England cap in Switzerland last month, but he has only played 223 minutes for the national team in 2014, and will be looking to build on that during the upcoming friendlies against San Marino and Estonia.
“There are two ways to react [to not being selected] — a right and a wrong way,” said Milner. “You can sulk and mouth off or work harder and working harder is the only way I know.
“Maybe it counts against you if you’re not sulking or ruining training if the manager leaves you out. I’m not naming names. I’ve played with enough players for you to decide who it can be.
“Maybe that does count against me at times. The manager knows I’ll just carry on training as hard as I can. It’s no good for the team if someone sulks or disrupts training.
‘”The team comes first, whether it is England or Man City. It is no good for the team if you do alienate yourself from the group and start making things difficult.”
SEE ALSO: Top 10 best free kick takers in the world