Milner: Firmino will get better

James Milner heaped praise on Liverpool team-mate Roberto Firmino and the way he has adapted to the Premier League.

Firmino arrived at Liverpool in the off-season, signing from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim and after some initial struggles has found his best form, scoring nine goals in 37 appearances.

And Milner, who has tipped bigger and better things to come from the Brazil international, said Firmino’s improvement comes down to sheer work rate.

“It’s very difficult for any player changing club, never mind a player moving to a new country, trying to learn a new language, and playing in the Premier League,” he told Liverpool’s official website.

“It’s obviously a lot different to the Bundesliga and other leagues around the world, so doing all that adaptation and going through that, sometimes it might be 18 months to two years until you see the best of players and he’s managed to do that over the last few months.

“All credit to him for being able to adapt that quickly, and he’s shown what a good player he is.”

But for all the hard work, Milner said there was plenty of talent to help as well.

“You could see the touches and the quality [in training] and I suppose it was just getting up to that pace of play and being familiar with your surroundings and being comfortable,” he said.

“He works so hard for the team. He’s got so much ability on the ball, that flair, that moment of magic, but he works for the team. 

“When he’s up there, he’s setting the tempo as well, so I think he’s done really well to adapt and I think he’ll just keep improving.”