JAMES Milner is hoping to force his way into Graeme Souness' first-team plans after the Newcastle boss underlined his commitment to keep the teenager at St James' Park.

Milner's former club, Leeds United, raised the possibility of taking the 19-year-old back to Elland Road on loan last month.

With Leeds back in the promotion shake-up in the upper reaches of the Championship, boss Kevin Blackwell had hoped to sign Milner until the end of the season.

But, despite the midfielder's current exile from the first-team picture on Tyneside, Souness refused to release him for the final five months of the campaign.

Sources in West Yorkshire suggest Leeds are poised to make one more attempt to secure his services but, with the United boss likely to dismiss that as well, Milner will have to target a surprise recall to the Newcastle line-up if he is to avoid a lengthy spell of inactivity between now and the end of the campaign.

The versatile left-footer, the youngest ever goalscorer in the Premiership, was expected to be a key figure in Newcastle's season when Sir Bobby Robson paid £3.6m to take him to the North-East last July.

Despite starting the first three games under the former United boss, Milner has made just three more Premiership starts since Souness was appointed in early September.

His last outing came as a 75th-minute substitute in last month's 2-1 win over Southampton and he failed to even make the bench as the Magpies drew 1-1 with Charlton last weekend.

Leeds remain keen to sign a left-midfielder and, after being born and bred in the city, the chance of returning home on a temporary basis would undoubtedly appeal to a player who accepts he is still learning his trade.

With crucial FA Cup and UEFA Cup games looming, Souness is loath to lose any more members of his squad.

The Scot expressed a hope that no-one would leave Tyneside when the transfer window opened at the start of January.

Craig Bellamy's televised outburst and Olivier Bernard's contract demands scuppered that, but Souness remains committed to keeping his squad together over the next four months.

By taking his non-internationals to Dubai this week, the Magpies manager has underlined how highly he values his fringe players.

Milner missed the trip to play for England Under-21s and the youngster is one of the players Souness has identified as integral to the club's future success.

* Derby manager George Burley believes the Rams' chances of FA Cup progress hinge on his players' ability to maintain their concentration levels against Fulham.

Derby, fifth in the Coca-Cola Championship, meet the Londoners in an FA Cup fourth-round replay at Craven Cottage after drawing 1-1 at Pride Park a fortnight ago. And with a fifth-round trip against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium awaiting the replay winners, Burley is insisting his team avoid any slip-ups.

Burley, who on Thursday signed a 12-month extension to his rolling contract which will keep him at Pride Park until summer 2006, said: ''Our away record is the best in the Championship, but in Fulham we're playing a Premiership team and that's a very high standard of football.

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