Manchester Tug of War? James Milner's Future Stands Between Hated Rivals

Oh my, it has begun already. That will be a sentiment shared by many Manchester United fans as news emerged that their rivals from the blue half of the city had offered 20 million for Aston Villa's James Milner, a rumored target for Sir Alex and the Red Devils.

After all, it was not long ago that Manchester City were dwindling in the bottom tiers of English football, relegated from the Premier League in 1996 before plummeting into Division Two (now League One).

However, since 2008, City have utilised the wealth of owner Sheikh Mansour to purchase some of England's most talented footballers in Gareth Barry and the impressive Adam Johnson.

Across the city, Sir Alex intends to sign one major signing to boost his squad ahead of another grueling season aimed at reacquiring the title they lost in dramatic fashion to rivals Chelsea, another team headed by a wealthy owner.

In potentially signing Milner, Sir Alex may very well hold the piece that denied them the title this spring. Outside of Nani and Valencia, United possessed very little potency going forward amongst its midfielders.

As such, the team was perhaps overly reliant on Wayne Rooney to carve out, as well as convert, goalscoring opportunities.

Milner provides sufficient vision and close control that can unlock defences. Michael Carrick's poor form since the turn of the year for club and country suggests that more firepower is needed in a side shorn of clinical penetrative players.

However, the Red Devils face considerable competition from their city neighbors for the Englishman's services. Such interest will surely lead to Martin O'Neill and Villa owner Randy Lerner increasing the asking price for a player in high demand following a successful season.

That is not to say that Milner alone will rectify this season's disappointment. After all, Sir Alex has meticulously drawn from his resources to add Fulham's Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez from Chivas to add more youth to a side that is still dependent on the experience of its elderly statesmen, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Edwin Van der Sar, and Gary Neville.

In fact, judging from Fabio Capello's experiment against a rather impressive Mexico, Milner may struggle alongside a Carrick or Scholes. Neither Carrick nor Milner pressed Mexico's midfielders sufficiently to steal away possession in the first half and subsequently allowed Mexico to dictate the play and fashion a few good opportunities.

Milner's first half performance against El Tri thus revealed more about his ability to play in his preferred position.

A considerable amount of Milner's success with Villa this term was dependent on the work rate of the selfless Stiliyan Petrov, whose willingness to hold the fort gave Milner licence to press forward and link with Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young. If Milner decides Old Trafford is his destination, a likely partnership with Darren Fletcher or Owen Hargreaves is more likely to emerge.

As it stands, Milner remains very much caught in between two sides aiming to outdo the other, gazing over the fence to see what the other is up to in their yard. The lure of Champions League football or the promise of future supremacy will be a tough choice for a man whose career has been defined by intelligent career moves that have propelled him closer and closer to silverware.

As for Aston Villa, Milner's future will no doubt define whether the Villains are serious about challenging for a Champions League spot or destined to fall short. If it is the former, then Villa may wisely follow the course taken by Everton, who warded off any potential suitors for Jack Rodwell by offering him an extended contract.

It is up to Milner to make his choice. He may very well be the subject of speculation between two hated rivals involved in a tug of war over the nation's most promising starlets, but he alone will hold responsibility over its outcome. We will just have to wait until after the World Cup to find out.