James Milner

Yeah, I mean, of course, I wouldn't have thought twice about staying and playing for Leeds United, for sure.

Thankfully, it worked out in the end for myself.

But that is one of the small things that I only managed to play for Leeds for a couple of seasons.

That's one of the things in my career that...

You know, you look back on just the timing of how the club was if it had been a few years earlier and stuff like that.

But, you know, I feel blessed that I came through there and so much to the club and the academy for, you know, what they gave me and the influences I had coming into that first team.

You know, your Mark Vaducas, your Gary Kellys, your Alan Smiths, David Batties, Don Matteo, incredible influences on me and your Nigel Martins, Danny Mills, like the list goes on and what it was like to be a player and the values and

I have so much to thank them for.

I think there was another club interested as well, but Newcastle were doing very well at the time.

They had the chance to play under Sir Bobby Robson, an absolute legend.

Alan Shearer was one of my favourite players as well.

He was obviously up there and I remember watching him at Euro 96 and things like that.

It was a team that was up and around near the top of the league.

It was a good opportunity to go there.

You know you're going there as a young player, but you always back your own ability to go on there and make an impact.

I think I hit the ground running.

I think I started pretty well.

I remember having a conversation with Alan Shearer actually and walking out to pre-season.

I'd been there a few weeks and he was asking me if I'd been in the England squad yet and I said no and he was surprised that I hadn't and that was a bit of a lift again in terms of that.

I thought, well, he must think I can play at this level.