Liverpool Opinion: Reds should offer contract extensions to James Milner and Joel Matip

According to The Sun, Liverpool are set to hand contract extensions to James Milner and Joel Matip irrespective of the result of the Champions League final against Spurs on Saturday night.

Both the players have 12 months left to run on their existing contracts and the Reds feel that they have done enough this season to earn an extension to their current deals, The Sun understands.

Liverpool are likely to offer new one-year deals to both Matip and Milner, which would see them extend their stay at Anfield until the summer of 2021. (h/t Sun)

Milner, who joined Liverpool from Man City back in 2015, has established himself as one of the first names on Jurgen Klopp’s teamsheet, owing to his high work rate and incredible versatility.

The 33-year-old has once again played a key role for the Reds in all competitions this season, featuring prominently in the Premier League as Liverpool fell agonisingly short of Man City in the title race.

Milner racked up as many as 8 assists en route to Liverpool’s march to the finals of the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League and the veteran has once again contributed with 2 goals and 2 assists to propel the Reds to their second consecutive final in Europe’s elite club competition.

The former England international has made a total of 44 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions this season, contributing with 7 goals and 7 assists in the process.

The 33-year-old has probably done everything that the manager would have asked of him. From filling in at full-back to providing stability in the midfield and injecting creativity in the final third- Milner has done it all.

A top-quality versatile player with such a wealth of experience under his belt, Milner is any manager’s dream and it would be fair to say that Liverpool have hardly had a more faithful servant in recent years.

Milner is nearing the twilight of his career and one might feel that it is going to be hard for him at this age to cope with Klopp’s high-intensity football and the stress of playing regularly in the Premier League.

However, it has been quite evident over the course of the season that he is one of the fittest players in Liverpool’s ranks and he still has the hunger to compete at the highest level.

Matip, on the other hand, has surpassed all expectations this season. The 27-year-old Cameroonian international, who joined the Reds on a free transfer from Schalke back in 2016, played regularly at the heart of the defence in his first two seasons at the club, although he did come under criticism at times for his lapses in concentration.

The centre-back was expected to play second-fiddle to the regular pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez this season but the injury to Gomez opened the door for him to enjoy regular first-team football. And it has been a story of resurgence for the Cameroonian international at Anfield this season.

Matip played some of his best football in a Liverpool shirt against the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the Champions League this season, whilst also proving that he is capable of delivering the goods week-in-week-out in the Premier League.

The Cameroonian not only kept Dejan Lovren on the sidelines but also raised his game to partner van Dijk perfectly at the heart of the defence, playing a key role to ensure that the Reds finished the league with the best defensive record.

The 27-year-old played with a lot of conviction against some of the top teams in Europe and showed how dangerous he can be when he carries the ball forward with pace. Matip not only looked calm and composed at the back but he also showed a lot of composure with the ball at his feet, something that was missing in his game in his previous seasons at Liverpool.

Matip has made a total of 30 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions this season and there is a chance for him to add to that tally when the Reds take on Spurs in the Champions League final on Saturday.

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Liverpool need to start looking at potential transfer targets in the summer window but they should also prioritise keeping hold of their key first-team stars at the same time. Milner and Matip have played a key role this season and it is beyond doubt that both of them still have plenty to offer in that famous red shirt.