Former Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce believes veteran Liverpool midfielder James Milner is the greatest pound-for-pound player to have ever played in the Premier League.
The ECHO understands that Brighton & Hove Albion are closing in on a deal for the veteran who will be out of contract at Anfield in the summer. The 37-year-old has won six major honours, including the Premier League and Champions League, since joining the Reds in 2015 on a free transfer from Man City.
Milner, who has made 328 appearances for Liverpool, has featured in 27 Premier League games this season, but only six of those have been starts, and it now appears he will head to the Seagulls in the summer.
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But when assessing Milner's time at Anfield, Pearce believes the England international has been so good that he has to be the greatest pound-for-pound player in Premier League history.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Pearce said: "Pound for pound, he is the best player in the Premier League there’s ever been. I’d stick by that. For what you get, for what he gives you around the training camp, the games he plays, everything he stands for.
"All of those things, if you put that in a computer, his name will come out one of the top ones. Not the best in terms of ability, I’m talking everything that a modern-day player should give you.
"Professionalism, how he conducts himself. I’ve never seen a bad word in the newsprint about James Milner."
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