"Flatters to deceive for me"- John Aldridge claims he'd play 37-year-old over 'careless' Liverpool star any day

Liverpool legend John Aldridge has claimed he would any day pick 37-year-old James Milner over 27-year-old Naby Keita. Aldridge called the Guinea international careless and stated that he was only seeing out his contract.

Keita, who has missed 15 Premier League games this season due to hamstring and muscular injuries, has failed to impress this season. The central midfielder has featured in 10 games across competitions, not recording a single goal or assist. The former RB Leipzig man has also faced criticism for lacking drive and intensity.

🔴 Naby Keita starts for the third game in a row for Liverpool, the first time since October 2021. https://t.co/wZeUuMtxTn

Milner, who will be out of contract in June 2023, on the other hand, has given it his all whenever called upon. In 23 appearances across competitions, he has popped up with two assists. In his column for the Liverpool Echo, Aldridge highlighted the key differences between the two players, explaining why he would always pick Milner over Keita.

“I’m not sure whether Milner will get a new deal at the end of the season. It’s a tough one and it’s between him and the manager, but he’s been unbelievable for the club whenever he’s played,” Aldridge wrote.

“You’ve got to look to the future, but when you’re in these sort of situations - for me, I would play James Milner before Naby Keita any day.”

Aldridge concluded by saying:

“I think when the chips are down, he’s lightweight (Keita) and careless with the ball. He’s just seeing his contract out. I think when you go to Brighton and places like that you need a midfield of Milner, Henderson and Thiago or young Elliott. You’re going to get more. Naby flatters to deceive for me.”

Jamie O’Hara claims it would be a “miracle” if Liverpool finish fifth in Premier League this season

Liverpool slumped to an embarrassing 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, 29 January. It put an end to their domestic cup aspirations, as they had already crashed out of the Carabao Cup.

The Merseysiders have also been all over the place in the Premier League, with them sitting in ninth place with 29 points after 19 rounds of fixtures. Liverpool currently trail fourth-placed Manchester United by a whopping 10 points.

Jurgen Klopp announces Liverpool will not sign any other player in January: “Nothing will happen in this transfer window, not at all”. 🚨🔴 #LFC

“It's all good with this squad”, Klopp added. https://t.co/l5RpW0dNON

Following Sunday’s defeat, former Tottenham Hotspur man Jamie O’Hara reflected on the Reds’ run this season and made his prediction. The talkSPORT pundit claimed that they had lost their cutting edge and it would be a big deal if they finished fifth.

“I think top four is off this season – they’re miles of it. You know, we keep expecting ‘Liverpool will turn up’, they’ve still got top players in the side,” he said.

“They’ve just lost the cutting edge. They’ve lost the belief and the intensity that they’ve had for so many years and now teams are turning up against them and they are able to turn them over.”

O’Hara continued:

“I think it’ll be a tough season for them. I don’t think they’ll win a trophy this season and it’ll be a miracle for them even if they get fifth.”

Liverpool will return to action with a clash against Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, 4 February.