Transfer News: James Milner to leave Aston Villa for Manchester City soon: Manager Martin O’Neill
England International James Milner is all set to move to Manchester City, and the deal could be concluded by the coming weekend, stated Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill. The 24 year old didn’t feature in Aston Villa’s recent friendly against Spanish side Valencia, with O’Neill confirming that Milner would be joining City in the near future. The Aston Villa manager confessed that Milner was pulled out of the friendly owing to the transfer talks with Manchester City. Villa experienced a goal-less draw with Valencia in the friendly.
"I thought it would be the best thing to do not to play him in case something develops over the weekend or Monday or Tuesday,” stated the Aston Villa manager. The manager added that fresh talks are currently being taken place over the England International, but didn’t confirm if there was a new offer.
O’Neill stated that it would be beneficial for everyone involved in the deal if it took place as soon as possible. The manager stated that the time is right to get things done. Villa initially rejected a 20 million pound bid for the 24 year old, pricing the midfielder to be worth atleast 30 million pounds. Milner won the PFA Young Player of the Year award last season and was part of Premier League Team of the Year as well. The player had one of the best seasons so far in his short career. The player made over 45 appearances for Villa last season, scoring 12 goals for his side.
His undeniable talent has reportedly led Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini to pay all odds for the player. If James Milner joins Manchester City this season, they will have perfect players for all the positions and Mancini therefore knows the importance of the player. Many expect Stephen Ireland to be used as a makeweight transfer for Milner, as Ireland is not expected to be a part of Roberto Mancini’s plans in the coming season.
Aston Villa lost Gareth Barry last season to Man City and Martin O’Neill accepts that losing the best players does give him a headache, but still wants the deal to take place so that he can make new plans for his team. The manager added that losing such players becomes an issue because the team is building upon something and then the transfer takes place. An immediate change of plans and tactics is required after a transfer, and new players need to be brought in as soon as possible.
Milner was part of the 23-man English World Cup squad and set up Jermain Defoe for the only goal against Slovenia. England drew the first two matches against USA and Algeria and went into the final match of the group stages against Slovenia. The match was a must win for the English side and Milner was in the starting line-up. Milner delivered a low cross from the wing right into the feet of striker Jermain Defoe, who finished off the ball easily. England had a disappointing World Cup Campaign as they crashed out of the tournament in the Round of 16. The Germans defeated the pre-tournament favourites in emphatic fashion, thrashing them 4-1 on the day.
Manchester City has already added 4 new players to an already talented squad and Milner would be the fifth one. Adding Milner to the side, where the likes of Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, David Silva and the Toure Brothers play, means City mean business this season. The team finished 5th in the league last season and aims for the Champions League spot this season. The team is considered to be third favourites of winning the league this season, and Roberto Mancini is looking to lift the cup for City for the first time since 1968. City would be hoping to snap up Milner as soon as possible and get their plans ready in time for the new season.
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