Graeme Souness has finally apologised to Liverpool's James Milner, 18 years after he criticised the midfielder for his loan move from Newcastle United to Aston Villa.
Liverpool legend Souness was Milner's manager for a year in the north east, but he opted against playing the Yorkshireman as he sanctioned a temporary switch to Villa Park.
Souness was criticised for allowing Milner to leave, but the ex-Newcastle boss' response appeared to be him hitting out at the Liverpool star, who has gone on to win every major honour in club football.
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Former Liverpool midfielder admitted he did not see Milner's level of success coming with the 37-year-old enjoying trophy-laden spells at Manchester City and with the Reds.
“I was discussing leadership with Simon Jordan. James Milner was one of those I named as a leader I would want in my dressing room. At Newcastle, I knew him as a young boy," Souness wrote in his Daily Mail column.
"He has matured into a professional you can bet is a ten out of ten around the dressing room. He was upset with me many years ago at Newcastle when I said that ‘you won’t win the league with James Milners’ and he took that as me saying he wasn’t good enough.
“I was trying to say that you needed men. He was only 19 at the time. I apologised to him for that and I hope he’s forgiven me. You can never have enough James Milners in the dressing room. He makes other players turn up.”
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