James Milner 'angriest' he's ever been when he burst into Newcastle office saying 'choice words'
Newcastle United decided against letting James Milner join Aston Villa at the 11th hour and the former Magpies midfielder was far from happy when he was then left out of the squad
James Milner has revealed he was never 'angrier' than when he was left out of Newcastle United's match day squad after the plug was pulled on his move to Aston Villa.
Milner had been loaned to Villa in 2005 as part of the deal that saw Nolberto Solano move the other way. The temporary switch looked set to make permanent the following summer after Villa had a £4m offer accepted by Newcastle and Milner agreed personal terms. However, Newcastle changed their mind on deadline day to leave Milner stunned.
"I got down there and Martin O'Neill was the manager and he said, 'The plug has been pulled,'" Milner told the High Performance Podcast. "I started laughing. I thought he was joking. I didn't know him so I thought it was his personality. He was like, 'No. They have changed their mind. They're not doing it.'
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"So I went all the way up to Newcastle. One of their deals had not come through and I went back up there. The manager, Glenn Roeder, was like, 'I never wanted you to go. Really happy you're back. It was the club's decision.'
"My head was all over the place. The club didn't want me, gone there to a club who did want me, they have pulled the plug, gone back. Right. Fine. I'm ready to go. I'm on it. If you haven't done it, let's get on with it.
"That was Wednesday or Thursday. Saturday came and I wasn't in the match day squad. I wasn't even on the bench and I went in there [manager's office] and said a few choice words.
"I think that's the angriest I've ever been in my life. I went into the players' lounge after and my now wife's dad was sat there and he said he had never seen me like that. He didn't know what to say."
Milner quickly won back his place at Newcastle, becoming an ever-present in the side, before joining Villa a couple of years later for £12m.