Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch admits they turned down the chance to sign James Milner from Liverpool.

Liverpool veteran Milner started his playing career at Elland Road, making his debut as a 16-year-old in 2002. And Marsch has explained why Leeds did not pursue a deal for the Liverpool vice-captain.

“We've built this with young players," Marsch told Leeds Live.

“We haven't gone out one time and gotten an experienced, 30-year-old Premier League player because a lot of what we're trying to do is build a process where we're going to get stronger and stronger.

“We're not just building a squad for right now, but for the development of what we want this club to become, which we think is the right strategy.

“It would have been easy along the way to bring James Milner back or try to do some things like this to bring in Premier League experience or veteran players that understand the league.

“In some ways, it's a little bit braver where we're at in what we're doing. You could say risky, but we believe in believing a process where we're going to pick up some good, young players, get them at a price where it still makes sense within our budget and help them to become Premier League stars, help them take the next step in their careers and, in the process, build this club to get bigger and stronger."