Image:Milner is the new all-action hero at Villa Park
The words of Fabio Capello at the end of March tell you almost all you need to know about Aston Villa's James Milner.
Professional Footballers' association announce nominees for Players' Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year
The words of Fabio Capello at the end of March tell you almost all you need to know about Aston Villa's James Milner.
England's manager said: "This year our most improved player is Milner." To win that sort of praise is not an easy achievement to put it lightly.
But it is easy to see why Capello has been so impressed with Milner and perhaps it was only the Italian's limited English that prevented further acclaim.
The 24-year-old has been a revelation this season and has filled the void left at Villa by Gareth Barry's move to Manchester City with relative ease.
Milner is the new all-action hero at Villa Park. The former Leeds and Newcastle player would appear capable of comfortably operating in any role.
Lung-busting runs, crunching challenges and a new-found goal threat have all added to potency and a reason for critics, pundits and fans to purr.
A winger by trade, Milner also played in a central midfield position earlier in the season and dictated matches to cure a selection headache for Villa boss Martin O'Neill and provide a snapshot of his performances in 2009/10.
Milner has helped Villa compete for a place in the top four of the Premier League for the majority of the season, while the club were also runners-up in the Carling Cup and reached the FA Cup semi-finals.
It is easy to see why Villa want to offer the midfielder a contract extension and why he is considered a certainty for England's World Cup squad this summer.
To have the chance to win a signed framed shirt of the Players' Player and a signed framed shirt of the Young Player visit givemefootball.com
