... was he so close to joining Aston Villa back in August?
Only one man can answer that, Freddy Shepherd, but chances are we will never find out. However, looking to the future, the 20-year-old winger looks to have a great future at St James' Park.
Milner: "I get confidence when I hear the manager say he wants me to stay, but I cannot affect what happens off the pitch. I can only work hard on the training field and then give my all on a match days, and that is what I have to keep doing.
"We want to keep the run going because it has been nice to play when things are on the up. We had a bad start to the season, but things have turned around now and hopefully, we can keep going.
"You play your best football when you are getting back-to-back games, and that is what happening now. It is difficult when you are in and out of the team to show your best form. Hopefully I can continue that run this season. It is always great when you are being picked.
"I am just enjoying myself and I want to keep on playing well."
"The games come thick and fast at this time of year and there are some massive games coming up. The way we have been playing suggests we will get quite a few points over Christmas. You look at the league before and after Christmas, there could be a big difference. We want to be in the top half and looking at the European places."