Buy Him. NOW!

David O’Leary has admitted that he would love to sign James Milner on a permanent basis in the summer.

Milner, currently on a season long loan from Newcastle, made up part of the deal that saw Nobby Solano move back to Geordieland.

The 20-year-old has been a virtual ever present for Villa and has enjoyed a rich vein of form adding some bite and distribution to what has – at times – been a very lack lustre team.

O’Leary said: ‘James Milner cost Newcastle £5million plus add-ons when they signed him from Leeds and that sort of money takes us out of the equation. He is not spectacular but plays at a high level of consistency and is a very functional player.’

The last report I read said that Milner cost Newcastle £3.6 million when Sir Bobby Robson bought him from Leeds United in 2004. Also, ‘he is not spectacular’? How is that going to motivate the player to want to stay?!

He continued: ‘Newcastle must have thought they could not go wrong allowing him to join Villa on loan as he could only improve with us. Villa did a great bit of business when he joined us. Nobby Solano came for £1.5million and they gave us back that money when he returned to Newcastle and we took Milner on loan for a year without any fee being paid.

I guess his future will depend on the next manager taking up the St James Park hot seat, if Souness had remained we would probably have been able to buy him.

O’Leary finished: ‘No doubt Doug Ellis, will be speaking to Freddy Shepherd at the game.’

Oh crumbs no, that is that then!