THERE could well be one or two wingers in the Premiership who will be having sleepless nights before they face Manchester City this season.

Kevin Keegan's summer signings of Ben Thatcher and Danny Mills, who will defend the flanks as though their lives depend on it, has certainly added steel to a side accused in some quarters of having a soft centre last year.

In Mills, the City chief has signed a man who simply does not know when he is beaten. While he is not the most popular of figures with visiting supporters, the 27-year-old is just the type of player you would want to be want alongside in the trenches.

"I have always had drive and determination, call it what you want," said Mills. "Second isn't an option, it just isn't good enough. I don't even let my little lad George beat me when we have a race!

Competitive

"Well I'm not that much of an ogre... occasionally I'll let him win. I'm just very competitive. Life is a competition and life is about winning.

"If you are hungry and determined enough to make things happen, they will.

"I had a five-and-a-half year contract with Leeds a couple of seasons ago and that is the most important thing with what I have got here. I can now get on with my football and not have to think about anything else day in, day out.

"I'm not going to be thinking in a year's time `what am I going to be doing now?' or this, that and the other. But that doesn't mean that I am in a comfort zone. Far from it. I come here striving to achieve and am constantly trying to do that.

"I want to better myself and I believe that I can do that here. If I can do that, I will help myself and I will help the team."

When Mills received the call from Keegan to say he was interested in making him a City player, the former Charlton and Norwich man had no hesitation of accepting the offer that came his way.

It didn't take long in the presence of the City chief to realise that he was talking to someone who shared his outlook on how football should played and the attitudes that are required to succeed.

Working

And even though he has played in a World Cup and figured in some vitally important Champions League fixtures, Mills believes he can still learn a thing or two from the staff he will now be working with.

"It's nice now just to be playing football and doing what I enjoy doing," said Mills, capped 19 times by England. "I spoke to the manager last season when Leeds were trying to farm me out and at the time, it wasn't quite right for me.

"But as soon as the manager phoned up this time around and said that we could do a deal, I had no hesitation. I wanted to get everything sorted out as quickly as possible. He didn't have to do any selling to me.

Passionate

"Apart from the manager, Stuart Pearce is here and they are both very, very passionate people.

"They like to play football properly and they like to do it with passion. That was a big attraction.

"Between them and the other staff, they have fantastic knowledge. Hopefully I can come here and learn things as well. I learnt an awful lot at Middlesbrough last year under Steve Harrison and I'd like to think I could do the same here.

"Hopefully I have taken a lot of that on board and I can bring that here, help myself and help the rest of the lads as well, especially the defence."

You can read Dominic King's full interview with Danny Mills in the new look edition of the CITY MAGAZINE, which is on sale now.

Will Danny prove a good addition to the City squad? Have your say.

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