James Milner: Liverpool midfielder signs new deal until 2022 - until he is 36

Milner, who turns 34 next month, won the Champions League with the Reds in June but he has been impressed by how they have stepped up a gear since then and currently have an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

"Obviously winning a trophy last year, it's easy to sit back or take your foot off the gas, and we've gone the other way," Milner, whose new deal the PA news agency understands takes him to 2022, told liverpoolfc.com.

"There's a long, long way to go now, we know that, no one is getting ahead of themselves.

"Again, that's a massive strength of the squad, we take it a game at a time and concentrate on one at a time.

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"But you can see the drive in the squad to keep pushing and to try to play at the intensity that we play at every couple of days, which we are at the moment.

"That's testament to everyone in and around the club, all the work everybody does at Melwood and the mental attitude and strength that we have to keep going and pushing again.

"Like I said, there's a long, long way to go, but we'll keep striving to keep improving and getting success for this club."

On a busy day at the club's Melwood training base Milner's extension was confirmed less than seven hours after Liverpool announced manager Jurgen Klopp had agreed a new deal to 2024.

"Obviously the gaffer waited to sign his dependent on whether I signed mine, so that makes me a feel bit more important," the midfielder joked.

Milner joined the club from Manchester City on a free transfer in the summer of 2015.

"I've been lucky and privileged to play for this club for four and a half years now, it has been an amazing time seeing how the club is changing and developing," he added.

"We had discussions with the club and this was obviously the ideal for me, this was what I wanted to do - stay and play at the highest level as long as I can.

"Liverpool is an unbelievable place to be and we're a very, very good football team and hopefully we can keep improving."

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