Liverpool signed the NEXT James Milner | OneFootball

There's a player at Liverpool who has resemblance to James Milner in his playing style.

The Reds' former no.7 was never extraordinary. He never dazzled. He was not a phenomenon. He did not win Ballons d’Ors, nor draw headlines in the media. And yet, during Liverpool's most successful era under Jurgen Klopp, he was just as important to the club's success as anyone else.

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He was the player always there, always available, always ready to shoulder barge Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp.

Most importantly, he was reliable and flexible. He did whatever was needed, whatever Klopp asked him to do. Jurgen Klopp relied on him not because he was extraordinary at one thing, but because he was capable of everything.

These sort of footballers are becoming more common in the modern game. In a game increasingly becoming more fluid, and players becoming better and better technically and tactically versatility is becoming a necessity for some players. Just take Dominik Szoboszlai as an example.

Over the course of his two year career at the club, he's played as a no.6, no.8, as a no.10 and even as a false nine. Now he's playing as a right-back.

But he's not the only one.

The summer of 2023 will always go down as Jorge Schmatke's midfield spree. He secured Wataru Endo, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and the aforementioned Szoboszlai.

All in one window. I mean, it doesn't quite come close to Richard Hughes' extravagant spending but it's as close as Liverpool have gotten to a perfect summer.

One player who rarely gets mentioned in the same conversation is Trey Nyoni. Ultimately, he arrived in the same summer as the quartet and in years to come he could become just as important to Arne Slot's squad - he's shown this summer in pre-season that he's ready for the next step.

Nyoni isn't an eye-catching player. Well, not in the same vein as Rio Ngumoha. He doesn't dribble past thickets of defenders.

Tall, elegant and balanced on the ball. He consistently makes the right decisions on the ball. He seems to be averse to feeling pressure and giving the ball away.

Nyoni is a player you can trust. Similar to Milner. But this isn't where the resemblance ends.

The teenager is also becoming versatile. When Joe Gomez picked up an injury in pre-season, Slot asked Nyoni to play as a centre-back against Athletic Bilbao.

The youngster stepped up and was probably the best player on the pitch - even making Van Dijk esque interventions to prevent the opponent from scoring.

More recently, he's been asked to play a different role for England as well. For the U19 team competing in the Pinatar Arena in Spain, Nyoni played as a left-back against Ukraine.

It was more of an inverted role, similar to Szoboszlai's right-back shift against Arsenal. And it's fair to say Nyoni impressed, completing 93% of his passes and winning 2/3 ground duels.

Like Milner, Nyoni is showing he isn't someone defined by his role. He can be a midfielder but he can also be a full-back, a centre-back and maybe more, too.

Ultimately, that adaptibility is not only going to mean he could become a key member of the squad for many years to come but like Milner he could have longevity in the game as well.

In 2023, when Milner left the club and Nyoni came in probably no one will have realised he'd be the heir to his throne - but the last few months have proven that he is a worthy successor.