James Milner has told Viaplay Fotball that he spoke to Erling Haaland about Leeds United during Liverpool’s clash with Manchester City on Sunday, while he also shared what the striker once told him about signing for the Whites.
Milner helped the Reds to a brilliant win against Pep Guardiola’s men. The former Leeds man was outstanding at right-back.
Remarkably, the game represented only the second time in the Premier League in which Haaland has failed to score. Meanwhile, it is the second time since his move to Manchester City in which the striker has been unable to find the back of the net against Liverpool.
But there was another topic concerning Haaland which came up when Milner was doing a post-match interview. And that was their mutual love of Leeds.
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Milner and Haaland speak about Leeds
Of course, Milner’s admiration of the club is well-known. But Haaland was also born in the city. And actually, there was a time when Leeds looked at signing the striker.
As noted by The Athletic, he is a fan of the club. And he was in talks to sign for Leeds while with Molde. However, an asking price of around £4 million was potentially too steep. And Leeds were not able to get a deal done.
Red Bull Salzburg were prepared to offer significantly more. And with that, Leeds fans are forced to think about what could have been.
One player who probably wishes Haaland went to Leeds – for a variety of reasons – is Milner. And following the game on Sunday, the Liverpool star was asked whether Haaland makes a point of bringing up Leeds whenever they face each other.
“I can confirm he said he was going to sign for Leeds a few years ago when we played against them. And he was obviously lying, so that’s disappointing,” he told Viaplay Fotball.
“We had a little chat, yeah,” when asked if they talked about Leeds in Sunday’s game.
Admittedly, the chances of seeing Haaland playing for Leeds during anything near the prime of his career are slim at best. He has been unbelievable for Manchester City. And, worryingly, he should only get better in the years to come.
But it is extremely cool to see Haaland still feels that connection to Leeds. And obviously, Milner’s love for the club remains strong as he expressed his disappointment over Haaland not joining.