Source: Telegraph
Manchester City violated rules in pursuit of James Milner, says Randy Lerner
Milner has been the subject of a 'will he won't he' transfer saga for much of the summer and despite his contribution in Villa's 3-0 opening day victory over West Ham yesterday, it seems a deal could still be possible. [LNB]But Lerner has been left incensed by City's behaviour. [LNB] Related ArticlesAston Villa 3 West Ham 0MacDonald: Aston Villa need big nameAston Villa v West Ham: previewJames Milner in Villa squad to face West HamAston Villa: Premier League 2010-11 season previewLennon: we want Bellamy at Celtic "Big, bad Manchester City came along and asked for Milner and we said, 'No, he is not for sale'. And under the rules you have to respect that," he told the Mail on Sunday. [LNB] "Manchester City respected that for two whole days. And then they violated the rules and came in for him again." [LNB]Lerner added: "We are not a selling club. A selling club is when you let it be known that you want to sell a player, through an agent or whatever. [LNB] "That didn't happen with Gareth Barry and it didn't happen with James Milner either. As for Ashley Young, he was never going." [LNB]Lerner also hinted caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald could be a serious contender to replace Martin O'Neill on a permanent basis. [LNB] "There are those managers who like the show and the attention and then there are those such as Kevin," said the American. [LNB] "I'm not going to say it is in Kevin's hands now and I would be disappointed if it was reported like that. But much will depend on how Kevin feels, whether he thinks this might be right for him, if he is comfortable with the idea of being Villa's manager. [LNB] "He is such a cool guy, he is popular with the players who really played for him (yesterday) and with the fans and the press. We will see how he feels when he wakes up from this and then we will look at the situation from there." [LNB]
