I’m a Premier League cult hero, now my sons are forging their own careers at English giants

Emile Heskey believes his sons are at the ‘best club’ for their development after following in his footsteps.

The former England striker scored over a century of Premier League goals during his career.

@j_heskey

Almost a decade on from retiring, Heskey’s teenage sons are now part of the Manchester City academy.

Jaden and Reigan Heskey are both members of the club’s under-21 side this season.

The former, who is two years older than his brother at 19, captains the team.

Meanwhile, Reigan was promoted from the under-18s after 18 goals and seven assists in 19 league matches last season.

The 17-year-old is also an England youth international and recently starred for the Young Lions at the Under-17 World Cup.

Heskey’s sons at the ‘best club’

Heskey is glad to see the opportunities the youngsters are getting at City, having already made their first-team debuts.

Speaking to Hawksbee & Baker, he was asked about Jaden and Reigan being in the club’s youth set-up.

He explained: “They’re humble kids, they’re good kids. They’re very talented, both of them.

“The youngest one’s just come back from the World Cup U17s in Qatar, lost to Austria, which was interesting because my former team-mate, Paul Scharner’s son was playing for Austria as well. So that was good.

“They’re doing really well. They’re forging their own career. They’re arguably at the best club to help them to forge a career.

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“When you look up and down the leagues, there’s always a couple of ex-Man City players, under-17 players playing.

“So it’s good to see that they’re getting that opportunity and they’ll be fine.”

Reigan was a key part of England’s run to the last 16 in Qatar this month after a string of stunning displays.

He ended the tournament with four goals and three assists from five appearances at the tournament.

The brothers were handed their first-team debuts by Pep Guardiola earlier this season.

They both appeared as second half substitutes against Huddersfield in the Carabao Cup in September.

As for their dad, Heskey scored seven goals in 62 caps for England during his career.

The forward also represented the Three Lions at both the 2002 and 2010 World Cups.

At club level, he scored 110 goals in 516 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, Leicester, Aston Villa, Wigan and Birmingham.

Those appearances leave Heskey seventh on the all-time list of Premier League appearances behind Gary Speed on 535.

Having started his career with Leicester, he won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs with the Foxes in 1996.

The following season, they lifted the League Cup, with Heskey winning the trophy for a second time with the club three years later.

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He would win it twice more during a four-year stay at Liverpool, which also included an FA Cup and UEFA Cup triumph.

Heskey also had spells with Newcastle Jets and Bolton before retiring in 2016.

His goalscoring prowess and physical centre-forward play endeared Heskey to fans at each of the clubs he played for.

Meanwhile, the Premier League cult hero was the record signing for both Liverpool and Wigan at the time of his arrivals.

Heskey’s 2006 move to the Latics remains the biggest transfer fee in the club’s history at £5.5million.