The popular midfielder is hoping to return to first-team action this Saturday against his old club Aston Villa after recovering from a hamstring injury, but praised the Blues’ fans for their unstinting support.
“The fans have been brilliant since day one,” he said. “But I can’t deny it’s really nice and gives you a massive lift when you hear the best part of 47,000 singing your name like they did against Sunderland.
“I just want to go out and play as well as I can for City and our supporters and hopefully keep the trophies coming. Our fans turn out in big numbers whether it’s at home where the games are always sold out - or away and overseas where they always travel in their thousands, so we want to do the best we can for them and repay that backing.
“They were here when we weren’t winning things for so many years so it’s nice that we are now and as I say, that’s not a feeling we could ever get tired of.”
Milner was just hitting peak form when he suffered a double blow of suspension and injury, but he is expected to be available this weekend after missing the last four games.
“I’ve been progressing well and I’m back training so I’m hoping to be available for Villa,” he said. “My hamstring was a little tight before the game at West Ham and hadn’t felt quite right in the days leading up to the game.
“I’d had some treatment because it happens from time to time - then you play and it’s OK, but I went to do a sprint in the warm-up, it didn’t feel right and I made the decision not to carry on which I think has been proved correct.
“If I’d have played, it would have probably gone during the game and I could have been out for a lot longer. As it was, it was just ten days or so before I started light training again and now everything feels fine.”
Read the full exclusive interview with Milner in this weekend’s match day programme.
