Liverpool midfielder James Milner will not come out of international retirement to play for England at the 2018 World Cup, reports The Times.
Milner has been in sensational form for Liverpool since the turn of the year and there have been calls for Gareth Southgate to convince the versatile midfielder to reverse his decision.
The 32-year-old called time on his England career in the wake of the European Championships in 2016 having won 61 caps for the Three Lions.
Milner is arguably the most in-form English midfielder at the moment and would walk straight into Southgate’s starting XI for their World Cup opener in June.
However, the Liverpool No.7 has no intention to come out of retirement and will decline any advance from Southgate.
Milner is aware that he is coming towards the end of his career and does not want to jeopardise his Liverpool future by risking burnout in Russia this summer.
The former Manchester City midfielder has been integral to Liverpool’s incredible Champions League journey this season, setting a new record for the amount of assists in a single-campaign (8).
