The colour red was banned from James Milner’s house when the Liverpool midfielder was growing up, but the Anfield faithful will definitely understand the reason.
Milner, a Leeds United fan who came through the academy at Elland Road, was brought up to dislike Manchester United, and his dad never allowed him to wear the Old Trafford club’s famous colours.
Milner may have grown up to not like the red of United, but he’s certainly been valuable while wearing the red of Liverpool[/caption]
“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,’” he told The Times in 2018, joking that playing for Leeds, Manchester City and Liverpool was all part of a grand plan to wind Man United supporters up.
“It was strange when I signed for Liverpool [in 2015], 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.”
And Milner was heard uttering something a bit naughty about United in the heat of Liverpool’s title celebrations in 2020.
However, strong his feelings are, Milner explained his fandom has its limits give he has enjoyed the company of Man United greats such as Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Gary Neville.
“That is probably the most surprised I’ve been at meeting somebody. When you see Gaz on the pitch he seemed such a horrible person but I was in one England squad with him, and then [experienced his] coaching, and he’s a really funny guy, and I like him.
“It’s never a personal thing. It’s the club. I have friends who are United fans – not many – so it’s not that personal but as soon as I step on that field… As much as I dislike Manchester United, I have huge respect for them, one of the best clubs in the world, with the trophies they’ve won, but their domination has unfortunately [been] in my lifetime.”
Now, though, Milner has been at the start of a new period of dominance with Liverpool, starting with that Premier League title – the club’s first top flight success since 1990.
A win at Old Trafford on Sunday will push them closer to Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table and put more daylight between them and United, who they are currently four points clear of.