England international finally makes Eastlands switch...
Aston Villa midfielder James Milner has completed his protracted move to Manchester City on a five-year contract.
Milner, 24, has been chased by the Blues all summer and they had a £20 million bid rejected in May.
The England World Cup 2010 midfielder has now sealed his transfer to the club for a fee believed to be in the region of £18m plus Stephen Ireland, who moves in the opposite direction.
Speaking to the club's official website, manager Roberto Mancini was delighted to have finally captured the reigning Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year.
He said: “I am very happy to have James with us, everybody knows we have admired him for some time.
“He is an excellent midfielder, who can play in a number of positions. This is important for the team, and I am looking forward to seeing him play for us. We have a very strong squad, and this signing is a very important one for us.
“James he is already a very good player, who has proved he can play at the very top level. But he is also young and a good character, I think he can also improve and be a great player for Manchester City for a long time.”
Speaking about Ireland’s departure, Mancini added: “I hope things go well for Stevie at Villa. He is also a very good player, and he has played a big part in City’s history. I think he will enjoy the change of being at another club, and I hope he does well for Aston Villa."
Aston Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald is sad to see Milner leave Villa Park, but is delighted to have completed the signing of Stephen Ireland.
"It is sad to see James go but it is a great boost for the club that Stephen is joining," he told BBC Sport.
"Stephen is a very gifted, inventive player and he links up play probably more than James in many ways."
He added: "He is a different kind of player to James with his power and strength all round the pitch, allied to a very good football brain."
Ireland says he is "really excited" to be joining Villa and hopes to feature regularly this season after falling out of favour with Roberto Mancini at Eastlands.
"I have plenty of personal ambitions," he said. "I want to get back to playing the way I can - I haven't played 90 minutes in nearly eight or nine months, which isn't normal really for me.
"I've kind of forgotten the feeling what it is like to come off after a game feeling tired, winning or losing. I'm not used to sitting out for so long.
"So for me, I want to get back to playing at the top of my game and I want to work hard for my team-mates.
"I want to see if my team-mates and myself can push on and achieve something massive this season."
Ireland scored 13 goals on the way to winning the PFA Player of the Year award in the 2008-09 season an hopes to recreate that form with his new club.
"My main attributes really are breaking from deep counter-attacking quite fast as the ball is building up, whether you are running with or without the ball," he added.
"I've kind of got a good eye for goal as well - I pop up at the right place at the right time"
Ps.Hear are the stunning that score during his days at Aston Villa
