James Milner fancies a crack at management - but has no plans on retiring yet

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Record breaker James Milner admits becoming a manager could be his “next gig.”

But Milner, 40, who has just set the top-flight appearance record of 654 games, is thinking about moving into management - but is not ready to retire just yet.

Brighton veteran Milner said: “I'm pretty open and I've always said I'm just concentrating on what I'm doing. I know the end's getting closer, I do appreciate that, but I still think I stay in the present and try and focus on what I can contribute to the team as a player.

“Sometimes management appeals to me, for sure. And then other times, you see managers getting a new contract and getting sacked in two months and things like that, and I just don't think people get the time they deserve now.

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“When I look at managers and clubs and successful teams, they've been given patience and you've got two, three windows where it's your team and you've got a whole other team that you then need to get your players, get your ideas across, get the culture across.

“So there's some times I think, yeah, it'd be great and I'd love to put my stamp on a team and I think I could do this and that.

“But it's such a hard gig innit? I mean, it's so hard. Even the amount of press you've got to do to be honest, you know, press conference before the game, after the game, like eight times a week.

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“So it is a difficult job and it's one that, again, the competitive guy in you, you think, yeah, I wouldn't mind giving that a go and taking on.

“I know it's difficult but...and I feel like I've got a fantastic knowledge of people I've worked under from back to your Terry Venables and your Sir Bobby Robsons, and then you go through to the current manager now.

“I've got a great array of different managers from different countries and different personalities to lean back on, so in one way I think it'd be a big shame to lose all that knowledge and experience I've built up to not be able to use that.”

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