Emile Heskey feels that the reason why James Milner is so good at taking penalties is practice.
The 33-year-old has made 188 appearances for Liverpool since joining the club from Manchester City, scoring 24 goals and providing 39 assists. Milner has found it hard to make Jurgen Klopp’s team sheet at the start of the season but his recent performances suggest that the former England international could find many first-team opportunities in 2019/20.
So far, the 33-year-old has amassed two goals and three assists in 11 appearances across all competitions. In Liverpool’s last game against Leicester City, Milner scored a last-gasp penalty to win the match for the Reds.
Whenever he’s on the pitch, the former England international is the club’s first-choice penalty-taker. Heskey played with Milner at Aston Villa and said that persistent training and practice is why he is so good at taking spot-kicks.
Speaking to the club’s official site, the former Liverpool man said: “He was our penalty taker at Villa. He’s so good at them because of practice. He knows what he wants, he knows what he wants to do. He’s so calm and confident with it. Nothing fazes him.You see him training [on them] during training and after training. That sums up James Milner.”
Liverpool’s next match is against Manchester United this weekend and there’s a chance Jurgen Klopp may not pick Milner in his team sheet. However, the 33-year-old might still make an appearance as a substitute.
