James Milner was not allowed to wear red as a child – and the reason why will delight Liverpool fans.
The veteran midfielder, 33, comes from a Yorkshire-based family and has revealed his Leeds-mad father banned him from wearing red due to the Whites’ instrinsic disliking of the Old Trafford club.
The feeling between United and Leeds stems from the rivalry between the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire – which you can learn more about here.
And Milner, who has made 506 Premier League appearances, admitted he was brought up with an ingrained disliking to the Red Devils.
“Growing up a Leeds fan, I was never allowed to wear a red t-shirt, my old man never allowed it. Seriously. ‘We can’t wear red. We’re Leeds,” Milner told The Times back in May.
“It was strange when I signed for Liverpool [in 2015], I was actually wearing red. My dad made a joke about it, saying, ‘that’s the first time I’ve seen you in red. I still follow Leeds and want them to do well and still have that same feeling towards Manchester United.”
Milner will be hoping to use his distaste for the Manchester club to his advantage on the pitch ahead of their crucial clash at Old Trafford on Sunday – live on talkSPORT.
His side are aiming to climb back to the top of the table with a victory against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s resurgent side in their game hand over title rivals Manchester City.
Manchester United vs Liverpool kicks-off on Sunday at 2.05pm.
Full commentary from the Premier League showdown will be live on talkSPORT, with our coverage getting underway at 1pm.