The 23-year-old midfielder played for his beloved Leeds when they imploded, then moved to St James's Park where boss Souness said he would not be "buying a team of James Milners".

"It's not an ideal thing for your manager to say," Milner said.

"The mentality from me was to prove him wrong, that is all you can do as a player. It's down to you to prove your ability and show those people who don't rate you that they are wrong.

"You remember the lows more than the highs I suppose and it is how you learn from those."

It is only this season at Aston Villa where Milner has felt stability and it has coincided with a call-up to the England senior squad and playing a key role in the under-21s reaching the semi-finals of the European Championships in Sweden.

"Those setbacks help you mentally," Milner said. "It's how you show your character."

That resilience was displayed in Gothenburg when Milner missed a first-half penalty against Spain but picked himself up and scored the second goal in a victory that sealed a place in the last four.

Milner is suspended for the Group B clash against Germany next week but will return for the semi-final and hopefully the final.

Even if they win the tournament, Milner is teetotal and will not be celebrating with alcohol.

"You get one chance at football," he said. "There is nothing wrong with having a drink at the right times, you see (Cristiano) Ronaldo having champagne and it doesn't make him a worse player.

"It's not in my nature and that is the sacrifice you make to make it to the top. Your friends are going with girls and drinking cider – it's a decision you make."

Milner's mental toughness is something he developed at Elland Road.
"It probably helped me playing at 16 in a Leeds team where things weren't going right," he admitted.

"There were things going on off the field, court cases, relegation, financial troubles. That stands you in good stead and helps you to be strong mentally.

"It seems that until last season there was always instability at the club I've been at and I've been worrying about managers getting sacked. Obviously that is not easy, you have to prove yourself all over."

Ironically, Milner was in the Villa side that defeated Newcastle to relegate them last month, and he now fears them plummeting like Leeds.

"Touch wood it doesn't happen but you look at the bottom of the Championship from last season and you see how many teams there have been in the Premiership," he added.

"Whether it's players wanting to leave, wages, getting that stability, bringing new players in – it's not easy to come back."