Milner answers football fans' questions in Quercus acquisition

Quercus has signed a book by Liverpool and England footballer James Milner, promising to answer all his fans’ questions about what goes on in a professional player’s life.

Written with the help of the Times’ chief football correspondent Oliver Kay, Ask A Footballer is billed as a “wonderfully entertaining and informative journey through the thrills and spills, the peaks and troughs of high-level professional football”.

Publishing director for non-fiction, Richard Milner, bought world rights to the book from David Luxton at David Luxton Associates. Quercus will publish on 31st October as a £20 hardcover.

Its synopsis explains: “Milner will explore the daily, weekly and seasonal rhythms of life at the top of his profession, the physical and psychological demands, the accolades and rewards which come from being successful, and the disappointments which inevitably follow if you come second best. He’ll take fans into the gym and physio’s room and out onto the training ground, into the dressing-room and tunnel, and out onto the pitch to show fans what he experiences each week in this personable, funny and often hilariously self-deprecating book.”

Milner, who has around 2.5million social media followers, announced the book

yesterday, asking fans to pose him a question. He told them: “If you ever had a question that you wanted answering on football: what happens behind the scenes; the path to the top; how to look after yourself... or anything else... then I’m ready to answer them in my new book - get them over using #AskAFootballer”

The player has been a professional for 18 seasons, racking up more than more than 500 Premier League appearances with Leeds, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool.

He said: “I am looking forward to answering questions from fans and sharing insights of my experiences within the game.”

Richard Milner added: “Given my surname, I had to commission this.”