Milner's warning in talk of the Toon

[Mark (Blue Army)]

James Milner is warning City team-mates that his old team Newcastle - and their new Geordie hero Andy Carroll - will make life hard as the Blues bid to maintain their top-four start.

England midfielder Milner knows all about the passion and tradition of the Toon after leaving hometown club Leeds for Newcastle in a £3.5million move while still a teenager.

He said: "It'll be nice to see a few old faces - Newcastle are a great club, and it's a great place to play your football. They'll bring a big support and it will be a tough game - I gave my all when I played for them.

"It's a massive game - we need to sign off with another win and another three points before the international break. It can be frustrating if you don't get the result then you spend the lay-off thinking about it.

"Newcastle's confidence is high. They had a great season - the Championship is not an easy division to get out of but they did it convincingly, and they've started this season pretty well.

"They're a threat going foward and Chris Hughton has them organised very well, so they'll be hard to break down."

Local-born Carroll has made a huge impact, announcing his Premier League arrival with a hat-trick against Aston Villa and pushing for a promotion from the Under-21s to the full England squad.

Milner said: "Andy was coming through when I was up there. He's got a good attitude. He's a good finisher who can use both feet and he's strong, a real handful in the air who will cause problems for any defence.

"If he gets the supply he's dangerous, but we've been solid at the back so far so hopefully we'll deal with that."

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