James Milner enjoying his football as he closes in on Premier League record
Brighton midfielder James Milner has surpassed Ryan Giggs in all-time Premier League appearances and is chasing down record-holder Gareth Barry.
Ex-England international Milner made his 633rd appearance in the competition during the Seagulls' goalless draw with Wolves on Monday evening.
The 38-year-old is 20 matches short of equalling the total of his former team-mate Barry but cannot match the record until next season as Albion have only 17 fixtures remaining this term.
Asked about emulating and then surpassing the feat, Milner told TNT Sports: "Yeah, we'll see. Game-wise, hopefully I've got a few more in me.
"With this group of lads I'm playing for now, a fantastic club as well, I'm enjoying my football and that's the biggest thing, you've got to want to do it every day."
Milner made his top-flight debut for hometown club Leeds in 2002 and has also represented Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool during an illustrious career.
He signed a one-year contract with Albion last summer, with the deal including the option for a further 12 months.
Asked about the key to his longevity, Milner replied: "I think a bit of luck, working hard and taking advantage of everything that you get, your opportunities in terms of how well we get looked after.
"You have to put the work in every day and I've been very fortunate to play for some amazing football clubs."
Aside from the landmark appearance, Milner shared the frustration of his manager Roberto De Zerbi after Brighton were held to a fifth draw in their last seven league fixtures at the Amex Stadium.
The stalemate lifted the Seagulls into seventh place, above Manchester United on goal difference, and extended their unbeaten run at home to a club-record nine top-flight games.
Albion also registered a second successive clean sheet, having previously gone 23 league matches without one.
"It's important and that will help us going forward," said Milner. "The firepower we have up front, we normally get on the scoresheet.
"It's disappointing not to get the win, but the clean sheets are really important and obviously we'd have had a few more points this season if we'd managed to keep a few clean sheets earlier in the season, but it's good habits to get into."
Wolves, who remain 11th, were dangerous on the counter-attack in Sussex and arguably had the better chances.
Pedro Neto impressed on his first start since October following a hamstring injury and is now focused on Sunday's Black Country derby at West Brom in the FA Cup fourth round.
"I feel really happy," he told Wolves' website. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, ever since I went back to training.
"I have enjoyed it a lot to be back, to be able to help my team-mates, and I'm looking forwards to the next one already.
"Everyone is looking forward to that (facing the Baggies).
"It's like any other game but, of course, it's a derby. We're going to go into it like we always do – to win it."
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