Kevin Keegan was once told he could replace James Milner with Bastian Schweinsteiger at Newcastle, his former No 2 has revealed.
But assistant manager Terry McDermott has admitted that the club's 'Cockney Mafia' - as they were dubbed by fans - had 'hoodwinked' Keegan with a €5million (£4.3m) bid in order to push through Milner's sale.
Milner - a key player for Keegan - was subject to a £10m offer from Aston Villa, but the Newcastle manager insisted he was not for sale.
Villa upped their valuation of Milner to £12m, which caused the former Liverpool forward to consider their offer.