James Milner backs ‘very knowledgeable’ Adam Lallana for future management role

Brighton midfielder James Milner believes his former Liverpool teammate Adam Lallana has all the attributes to become a successful first-team manager, praising the 37-year-old’s passion for the game and tactical insight.

Milner, who last weekend became the Premier League’s outright all-time appearance holder during Brighton’s 2-0 victory at Brentford, singled out Lallana when asked by SPORTbible which of his past or present colleagues he expects to move into management.

“Adam Lallana. He’s really dived into his coaching. He hasn’t been finished that long but loves it, loves the game and is very knowledgeable,” Milner said.

The pair spent five seasons together on the pitch—four at Anfield and one on the south coast—giving Milner a close-up view of Lallana’s footballing intellect. Since hanging up his boots, Lallana has already taken his first steps in the technical area, assisting interim bosses Andrew Crofts and Simon Rusk at Brighton and Southampton before accepting full-time charge of Southampton’s Under-21s last month. Early results have been mixed—one win, two draws and two defeats—but the sample size is small and the ambition is clear.

Milner, still playing at 40 and older than current Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler, has long been tipped as a future coach himself. Anecdotes from Jürgen Klopp about Milner’s role in enforcing squad discipline at Liverpool underline the leadership qualities that could translate to the dugout.

With both former Reds now plotting careers off the pitch, a return to Merseyside as part of a future coaching setup—or even as the main man—cannot be ruled out.