He was desperate to sign him, offered £1m and the Toon wanted £3m, and that was the end of it. But still the press insisted a deal would be struck during the transfer window, and Glenn Roeder told them they were backing the wrong horse.
Roeder understands the situation Milner faces on Sunday. He starred for Villa (on loan) last season and won over the fans, but he is hoping to get the nod to play on Sunday looking for a Newcastle win and a Villa defeat.
Milner: ‘I played every week and the club treated me well. I enjoyed it immensely, and I thank them for that. But I’m hoping to put a goal past them on Sunday and get three points.
‘In football things can happen very quickly, but I was delighted to go to Villa last season because it was a great experience for me. It’ll be nice to go back – the fans were very good to me there. But it’s a fresh start for Aston Villa now (under Martin O’Neill) and it’ll be a tough game for us. I’m sure they’ll be trying to turn Villa into a tough place to go.
‘Hopefully we can get all three points and keep up our good start to the season.’
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