'As a fan, you want to beat them' - Meet the Manchester United loanee following in his dad's footsteps and playing Liverpool at Anfield

Sonny Aljofree's phone pinged with a message from his dad earlier this week. It was a photo of a 12-year-old Sonny at Anfield, watching his dad's former team Plymouth take on Liverpool in the FA Cup third round. It was significant because eight years on, Sonny will be back at Anfield on Saturday, this time playing rather than watching.

The on-loan Manchester United youngster will line up for Accrington Stanley against Liverpool at the same stage of the same competition. Dad Hasney, a former United academy player, will be one of "50 to 55" friends and family ready to back Sonny on the biggest day of the 20-year-old's career so far.

Aljofree, who joined Stanley on loan from United in the summer for his first taste of senior football and is thriving in Lancashire, is from a family of United fans. He was born in Plymouth, when Hasney was representing the Pilgrims in the Football League, but returned to Manchester at such an early age that he says, "All I've known is growing up in Failsworth."

Under the guidance of Stanley boss John Doolan, he has taken his game to another level this season. He didn't get into the team until the start of October, but had started 16 successive League Two and FA Cup games until missing last weekend's trip to Colchester with swelling. He will be fit for Anfield, and a fixture he sensed was coming when he watched the third-round draw last month.

"I was sat in the kitchen, having my tea with my family and I saw Liverpool come up and I had just a funny feeling," he said. "I was like, ‘I can't play against United at Old Trafford, so the next best thing will probably be Liverpool here’.

"I said to my mum, ‘This is gonna be us here’. Obviously, it came up and all of us have just gone off and started