I'm a Liverpool and England hero - now I'm invested in Man City's next generation

Emile Heskey has an admission: he fell asleep and missed his son's Manchester City debut this summer.

Perhaps he can be forgiven, though - it was 3am in the morning and the former England and Liverpool striker follows youngsters Jaden and Reigan up and down the country as they look to make their own names at City. And he's playing a crucial part in helping two of the most exciting talents within the academy navigate a pivotal part of their exciting careers.

Watching on from the stands this week as Jaden captained City in the UEFA Youth League and Reigan notched another two goals, Emile could not hide his pride at seeing his sons partner each other in the same team. He's enjoying being a dad, and not an ex-footballer.

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Speaking to MEN Sport, Heskey explained his deliberate parenting style with his two sons forging on with the academy.

"The one thing I always said to them was to let them enjoy their football, that's what it's all about," he said. "You don't come into football for anything else. It becomes a bit more serious the higher you go and what you want to achieve. This part of football is what I enjoy.

"I can give them advice but it's their career. And if I give them advice which goes against what the manager says, what happens? I tend to sit back and when they ask, or when I see something which I think is obvious I'll give my opinion. But I try to enjoy being the dad and watching them play rather than being a coach and telling them what to do. Sometimes you have to sit back and let them enjoy it."

Heskey admits that staying out of his sons' development can be tough, especially with the top level career he enjoyed and the knowledge