Leaving Manchester City over the last 15 years has not been easy for any player.
Most players who have been part of the Premier League giants since the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008 have enjoyed success at the Etihad Stadium, and those who have departed have most likely been asked to by the hierarchy at the English club.
Cole Palmer has enjoyed plenty of success since leaving Man City for Chelsea in 2023, but if the England international had his way, he would still be part of Pep Guardiola’s squad once he had a starting role in the team.
Even those who were in and out of the team towards the end of their time at City have struggled to say goodbye to Manchester, which has just been confirmed by a Premier League legend.
James Milner found it hard to leave Manchester City
James Milner is not the most popular figure amongst Man City fans since leaving the club in 2015, but there is no doubt that the midfielder has a lot of love for the Manchester side.
Milner has stated that he turned down the chance to join Chelsea in 2010 before moving to the Etihad Stadium, as the Englishman wanted to help bring success to a club that had not experienced it in a long time, rather than being part of a team that was already winning.
As part of the same interview, the 39-year-old has now admitted that he found it tough to leave Man City for Liverpool in 2015, and that joining the Reds was a big gamble for him.
“I think leaving was a tough decision,” Milner said on The High Performance Podcast when asked about his Man City exit.
“I think the start of every season was tough because new players come in, like I said, and I had to fight my way back into the team, getting to finals and helping the team get there and then not playing the final game. But I think leaving was a tough decision for sure.
“And the harder decision was probably City to Liverpool because I could have stayed at City. But again, that was probably the braver decision in terms of, you know, Liverpool is a big pull as well. But it wasn’t the level it was.
“You know, it wasn’t the highest level of challenging for trophies necessarily when I went there. So that was probably a braver decision along the same lines. But, you know, City were spending a lot of money.”
Jürgen Klopp was a big James Milner fan
“Milner? The complete football player, the perfect professional”. This is how former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp described Milner in 2015 via Sky Sports after a very short time working with the midfielder.
It may have been tough for Milner to leave Man City, but what he did not know at the time was that only a few months later, Klopp would arrive at Liverpool, a manager the Englishman would go on to have an incredible relationship with.
The duo would go on to win every trophy possible on Merseyside, while the Englishman would also become the Reds’ vice-captain.
Milner achieved incredible things at both clubs, but he did not make the wrong decision departing Manchester when he did.
