How has a minor injury kept James Milner out for six months?

James Milner remains out with the minor hamstring injury he picked up six months ago when Brighton drew 1-1 at Arsenal..

A line anyone who has read a WAB match preview or team news piece in recent times will be familiar with. And whilst te minor hamstring injury keeping James Milner out for six months has provided an easy joke, maybe it is time to ask why?

Milner picked up the issue on August 31st at the Emirates Stadium. He had started all three Premier League matches under Fabian Hurzeler before that. His experience and leadership looked set to play a key role in midfield for a young Albion side.

In the first update given by Hurzeler post-Arsenal, The Youngest Permanent Manager in Premier League History said he did not expect Milner to face a lengthy absence.

“We have to do a scan and we have to control the pictures, what it will be, but I think it is not so bad. It looked a hamstring.” Famous last words…

The middle of September brought more James Milner injury news from Hurzeler: “James had a scan. It’s not a big issue, but with him, we have to go day by day. We have to look at how fast he can play without any problems. Therefore, we have to see step by step.”

October arrived with Hurzeler saying Milner was in contention to return for the home game against Spurs: “James Milner he’s an option for this weekend. Positive and negative news but in general we see more positives that the players come back.”

Fast forward two weeks and it was a rather different picture. “With James Miller, we have to be more patient. It takes a little bit more time,” said Hurzeler.

By December, Hurzeler was talking in terms of what Milner offers off the pitch rather than on it. Which made it sound like the veteran would not be returning anytime soon.

January saw Hurzeler reveal Milner was working hard to rehab, although the nature of the injury had seemingly shifted from hamstring to a fantastically vague problem with some part of his leg.

“It’s something with his leg so we have to wait for the next two or three weeks to see how it’s going,” Hurzeler said. “But I’m quite confident and positive that we will see him back on the pitch soon.”

Nobody at that particular press conference dared ask what Hurzeler’s definition of soon was. Possibly February 2036 when Milner will be a sprightly 49-years-old.

The most recent update came before the trip to Southampton. Hurzeler said Milner was now training hard. Make of that what you will. Because by this point, your correspondent has no idea what to think.

Which is why we sought the opinion of leading football injury expert Ben Dinnery, speaking via BetIdeas on why a minor hamstring injury has kept James Milner out for six months… and counting.

“When you talk about injuries, everybody assumes that from the point a player picks up an injury to the end stage of returning to the team, they’ll simultaneously tick off boxes along the way to recovery,” said Dinnery.

“There is also a belief that every player responds to rehabilitation in a very similar way. Take a hamstring injury for example.”

“People ask How long are you going to be out? Two to three weeks? Well, it might take one player 10 to 14 days and another player with a similar type of injury 21 to 28 days.”

“As a result, there’s been a move away from time-based rehab to what we call activity-based rehab. You may have recovery protocols within that rehab that you need to tick off as you progress. That might take a couple of days, or it may take a couple of weeks, depending on the player.”

“In terms of James Milner, he’s always been a player who, particularly during his time at Liverpool, you would look at in those pre-season pictures as a perfect example of how a footballer should look in pre-season. In terms of the management of his body. I mean, the guy is just a physical specimen.”

“We’ve seen from lactic threshold tests and other measurements that he has defied his years. He would always be the player leading the charge in terms of fitness.”

“It’s impeccable how he looks after himself. But once you enter your 30’s, muscle injuries and hamstring problems become a little more prevalent.”

“You lose some elasticity, the muscles lose flexibility, and you experience a slight decrease in muscle mass and strength.”

Dinnery linked Milner’s current hamstring to an injury picked up when Brighton lost 4-0 at Luton Town in February 2024. It ruled Milner out for the final four months of last season.

“If you look at his history, he started 2024 off the back of a hamstring problem. It lasted about five to six months. Then he had the same problem again in August.”

“So, there is an identified risk there because of his last seven or eight absences from the squad, six have been muscle related. That suggests he may need to be managed a little more carefully.”

“Again, it’s about making those calculated risks in recovery timelines, which indicate that there may have been one or two setbacks along the way.”

“That is always going to be the case. I go back to it – the recovery graph is not a straight line; it fluctuates. But in terms of the player, I have absolutely no doubt that he can return to the pitch this season.”