Boss keen to keep Milner

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini insists James Milner still remains in his plans after he scored a late equaliser against Hull.

Milner's late heroics underlined his value to the club but the England international is out of contract in the summer and, despite talks that have been ongoing for some time, a new deal remains unsigned.

It has been claimed that Milner may have reservations about committing to a new contract because he may not be able to command a regular starting spot.

Again he was on the bench and Pellegrini said: "I needed to make changes because last two games we didn't score one goal here against Arsenal or Middlesbrough.

"I made changes to bring back Samir Nasri from injury but James Milner always has a space. "He scored a beautiful goal from a free-kick.

He has started a lot of games but it's a team problem, not just one individual player."

Arsenal and Liverpool are known to be keen on the midfielder, and until he pens a new deal, speculation over his future will continue to rumble on.