Nothing Compares To You would probably be the most appropriate soundtrack to sum up the former England full-back's feelings towards United, who will forever be the club which tugs hardest on his heartstrings.

Hard-tackling on-pitch commitment personified, it was never going to require a degree in rocket science to understand that Mills was always destined to be a Kop favourite after joining Leeds from Charlton Athletic for £4m in the summer of 1999.

After a stop-start beginning to his Elland Road career, champagne moments arrived at home and abroad under David O'Leary in 2000-01 when United were drunk on success during an intoxicating ride that saw them beat the likes of AC Milan, Lazio and Deportivo in the Champions League en route to the last four.

No-one needs telling twice how the bubbly ultimately turned sour for Mills and Leeds, with the infamous "Living The Dream" project jettisoned with the club on the verge of financial meltdown a few years later.

The defender proved an early cost-cutting victim when he was farmed out on loan to Middlesbrough at the start of the 2003-04 season, which ended with him winning the only major honour of his career – a Carling Cup winners' medal.

Mills ended up joining Manchester City on a full-time basis in July 2004, with United in total freefall. It's arguably only now that the club are seeing some light following plenty of dark days.

But despite some bitter-sweet times at Elland Road, Mills – happily settled with his family in Harrogate – will forever remain a White.

Now busy pulling no punches in his part-time role as a summariser for Radio Five Live, he gets to Elland Road when he can, while trying to bring up the next generation of Millses as Whites supporters, his sons!

Mills, who retired from playing at just 32 in August, said: "I'd love to see Leeds back in the Championship and then the Premiership. It's a fantastic club with a great history and tradition and a great set of fans.

"I still bring my boys to Elland Road. My eldest is 10 coming up 11 and I used to take him at two or three and it's good to bring them back.

"Elland Road is one of the great old traditional grounds. It's not taken over by the modern era of Meccano stadiums which are all the same and it's always had a great atmosphere."

He added: "For me, Leeds will always be by far the biggest and best club that I played for.

"I still live in the area and had fantastic times there. I'd have never have left, apart from the way circumstances went when I was forced to leave, really.

"It was mainly fantastic – right from when I first heard about making the move.

"When I heard about it at Charlton, I had nothing else on my mind. This was a club that was in the top four; I'd had one season in the Premiership and was then looking to play in Europe. It was a dream come true.