James Milner has officially been announced as a Liverpool player, becoming the latest to don the iconic no.7 shirt in the process. 

The 29-year-old sealed a free transfer from Manchester City after growing frustrated at a lack of regular playing time at the Etihad Stadium, and joined up with his new teammates on Monday morning for the Reds' pre-season campaign after signing the dotted line in his contract.

The experienced midfielder, who prefers to play centrally but often played out on the flank for Manuel Pelligrini's men, is a shrewd acquisition - adding his qualities of winning experience, fantastic technical ability and an amicable work ethic to the side.  

Milner is one of six new arrivals at Liverpool so far this summer, three of which have been free agents, and had no qualms about choosing the number seven shirt at his new club.

Milner not fazed by number seven shirt's importance

The no.7, most famously, was the number worn by club legend Kenny Dalglish - whilst others such as Kevin Keegan and Peter Beardsley have excelled in the same jersey.

The latest to wear it was another fan favourite, Luis Suarez, who left for Barcelona and won the treble in his first year with the Catalan giants last season.

Danny Ings, another impending addition to the Reds' ranks this summer, has decided to choose the no.28 shirt to ward off any unnecessary pressure, but Milner insisted that was not something he worried about.

"I wore the number seven at Man City too, but at a club like Liverpool you can wear any number in the squad and it will have been filled with amazing players who have worn it before you," Milner stated.

"I know that it is a special number for this football club and hopefully I can be a special player for this club.

"But with the success this club has had over its history, you could pick any single number from the squad list and you will be wearing a special shirt.

"Hopefully I can do the shirt proud and help win plenty of matches for this football club."

Milner won four trophies in his five-year spell with City, having played in the Premier League with Leeds United, Newcastle United and Aston Villa beforehand, but admitted the lure of regular playing time in his preferred position tempted him to Merseyside.

He added: "I want to play football and play more centrally if I can and that's where the manager said he sees me playing.

"That's a big thing for me because I'm coming to the later stages of my career and I want to play as much football as I can. Liverpool is a great fit for me as a club."

English international hails Brendan Rodgers' impact

Asked about how big a role Brendan Rodgers played in persuading Milner to reject other clubs such as Arsenal, in order to play for Liverpool, Milner said the Northern Irishman was "massive" though the club didn't "need a lot of selling."

"Speaking to the manager and finding out what his plans were for me, things I've heard about him from other players - I was speaking to Stevie [Gerrard] at England and people like that - and what he said to me made me want to come and play for him straight away.

"It's an amazing feeling. It's always a big thing changing club. To sign for a club as big as Liverpool with the history they've got and the place it is - I'm just ready to get started I suppose.

"The pressure is there, the expectation is there and so everything is there for us. We have got a great manager in Brendan and great staff too, and with the players here, there is a lot of quality within the squad and a lot of new signings coming in as well.

"I can see everybody is raring to go, wanting to be together and they are ready to push forward."