New boy James Milner has spoken of his delight at linking up with Gareth Barry again and insisted his decision to stay with the club and not join Liverpool is a massive boost.

Milner, who has completed his £10million move from Newcastle, played alongside Barry when he spent the 2005-06 campaign on loan at Villa Park and is a big fan of the England international.

The 22-year-old has signed a four year deal, just 48 hours after the Barry to Liverpool saga was finally brought to an end.

Milner said: “It’s a massive thing to keep Gareth. The fact that a club like Liverpool wanted him shows what a quality player he is.

“You don’t want to be losing players of that quality. It’s not just what he does as a player though.

“It’s the example he shows in and around the dressing room. He’s a fantastic person to have in and around the place.

“I know from my last spell here, you don’t know just how gifted he is until you train with him week in, week out.

“He’s a fantastic player and I’ll be looking to learn a lot from him this time around.

“I nearly signed two years ago. That was a tough time for me and Villa as well. It obviously threw their plans into turmoil. That was a tough time.

“You learn from that and you move on and, two years later, I am sure I am a stronger character and a better player for those experiences.”