James Milner has opened the door on a Leeds United return before he retires, but only if the Whites truly had need for him at Elland Road.
The 33-year-old left his hometown club in July 2004 and has long been looked at by fans as the man they would love to see return before his distinguished, trophy-laden career ends.
In his book, Ask a Footballer: My Guide to Kicking a Ball About, which was published last year, Milner finally addresses the subject head on, in his own words.
The Champions League winner reveals, predictably given their status, United have never pursued Milner since his exit in 2004.
There is regret on Milner’s part he did not play for United for longer, but has always been made to feel proud when he’s heard the Elland Road atmosphere across the past 15 years.
Taking on a question and answer format, Milner is asked if he would like to finish his career at Elland Road.
“I get asked this all the time,” he said. “Any time I bump into a Leeds fan – or even my mates back home – it’s always, ‘When are you coming back? When are you coming home?’
“It’s a really hard question to answer because it’s all totally hypothetical. There has never been a decision for me to make.
“They’ve never come in for me in the past and they might not do so in future. I’m playing for a great team who have just won the Champions League.
“Am I happy at Liverpool? Absolutely. About Leeds, all I can really say is that I still love the club and I still love the fans.
“It’s a regret that I didn’t play for Leeds longer. I didn’t want to leave and I felt like I was only really getting started at the club, but it was an unfortunate time for me to be coming through at Leeds.
“They had been in the Champions League semi-final in 2001, but by the time I made my debut 18 months later, a lot of players had been sold and the club was going into a decline.
“I’ll never forget how brilliant the fans were with us the day we were relegated in 2004, after what was a pretty horrible couple of years for Leeds, and they’ve been fantastic throughout the 15 years since, standing by the team through thick and thin.
“When I see the atmosphere at Elland Road and I hear the crowd, it makes me proud.
“The fan relationship changes when you’re a professional player and you move on to different clubs, but I still follow them and look out for their scores every weekend.
“Watching Take Us Home, you get a real feeling for how desperate everyone is for the club to get back to the Premier League, where it belongs.
“To go back and play for my hometown club again would be amazing in so many different ways.
“But at the same time, they say ‘Never go back,’ don’t they? What happens if you go back and it isn’t the fairy-tale finish? Would it be the right thing for me? Would it be the right thing for them?
“There would be so many things to weigh up – not just for myself or my family, but for Leeds.
“If I was being released by another club, would they want me? It would be pointless for them and for me if I wasn’t needed at the time and it was just some kind of nostalgia trip.
“You can probably tell from what I’m saying that I love the club, but I also love playing for Liverpool and I want to play at the highest level for as long as I can.
“If my time at Liverpool came to an end and I was going to go somewhere else and Leeds were one of the clubs that were interested in me, then that would be a very exciting option for all the reasons I mention.
“But they might not be interested. I might look abroad. Something else could crop up that I’ve never even thought of. It is a nice idea, but I can’t say what the future will hold.”
Ask a Footballer was published by Quercus in hardback on October 31, 2019 and priced at £20.
