I said ‘You don’t win the Premier League with James Milners’ – 18 years later I hope he has forgiven me

GRAEME SOUNESS has revealed he has apologized for telling the Liverpool star: “You’re not going to win the league with James Milners.”

MilnerThe 37-year-old player is out of contract at Anfield this summer and is expected to be agree on a one-year deal to join former Reds team-mate Adam Lallana at Brighton.

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The former England international played under Souness at Newcastle before joining Aston Villa and then five trophy-filled years at Manchester City.

He came on a free transfer Liverpool in 2015 and has won the lot in his nine years on Merseyside.

After twice winning the Premier League with City, he helped the Reds end their 30-year title drought in 2021.

That comes after they played a key role in their Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup successes in 2019.

And last season he added to his trophy cabinet again as Jurgen Klopp’s side won both the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup.

Liverpool legend souness has now admitted he hopes the veteran “forgave me” in praising his leadership.

“I spoke to Simon Jordan about leadership,” he wrote in his Daily Mail Split.

“James Milner was one of those guys I called a leader that I wanted in my dressing room.

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“At Newcastle I’ve known him since he was a little boy and he’s blossomed into a professional, you can bet he’ll get a ten out of ten in the dressing room.

“He got mad at me at Newcastle many years ago when I said you weren’t going to win the league with James Milners and he took that to mean I said he wasn’t good enough.

“I wanted to say that you need men. He was only 19 years old then.

“I apologized to him for that and I hope he has forgiven me.”

Souness added: “You can never have enough James Milners in the dressing room. He makes other players show up.”