Riding shotgun to Carl Veart at A-League form team Adelaide United, Milligan, 37, is doing his own prospects of ultimately landing a top job of his own no harm at all in a rip-roaring start to his own journey.

Even before his playing career wound down at Southend United in England’s lower tiers, and then Macarthur Bulls back home, the man they call ‘Millsy’ planned to transfer the knowledge accumulated during a 19-year playing career into the coaching realm.

The intended transition at Macarthur never gained traction, and after retiring in 2021, Milligan began his coaching apprenticeship at NSW NPL outfit St George.

But Veart came calling in mid-2022 and 80-cap Milligan didn’t hesitate.

A buccaneering 10-match unbeaten run, including six wins, has propelled the Reds to second on the A-League Men ladder, as the alchemy of the Veart-Milligan partnership lights up the competition.

The trust placed in Milligan, who even as a teenager was a thoughtful and analytical member of the Sydney FC dressing room, has not been misplaced.

And in the ever churning coaching world, it might only be a matter of time before he claims a leading man role in his own right.

Meantime, Milligan, is lapping up the learning curve.

“Of course there’s an ultimate goal there - that’s what I want to do,” he told FTBL. “At the moment it’s good to be put on these situations to see how it all works, and to fine tune things.

“I have a lot of strong beliefs in how I think the game should be played and it’s about moulding that and making it work in terms of exactly what Carl wants.

“That’s been really enjoyable for me, to be able to articulate the way I see how the game should be played and make it meld with the way Carl sees things. I guess it’s about turning it into one vision. It’s been very interesting.”

Two disparate characters perhaps - Veart a softly spoken contrast to the more ebullient Milligan - they nonetheless share a similar football philosophy.

“There are a lot of similarities to how we view the game,” added Milligan. “There are differences also but that’s good also because there are times when a head coach needs an alternate voice. And there are times you need to just back what he’s thinking.

“It’s about learning when certain things are necessary. There are many ways of achieving the same goals, and there’s really no right or wrong.”

The biggest influences on the shaping of Milligan’s own ethos are Postecoglou and the Dutch duo of van Marwijk and van Bommel.

He was under Postecoglou’s spell at both Melbourne Victory and the Socceroos whilst linking with the two vans at the 2018 World Cup.

“Ange changed the way I thought about and even played the game,” said the former defender/midfielder.

“I took a lot from Ange and I still do. I had van Marwijk and van Bommel very late in my career but I learned a lot from the dynamite they had.

“Guus Hiddink was very different, very much the man manager type who got the best from his players that way.

“In terms of how I look at the game from a tactical perspective Guus was also very astute. But I think the game has changed a lot since I worked under him in 2006.

“As a player I wanted to learn every day and I have that same attitude as a coach under Carl. I don’t want to just challenge myself but also challenge the players every day.

“A lot of it is about being able to change things on the run and be in the moment.”