I had an early taste of fame. I was 20, going out with TV presenter Dani Behr and we'd have paparazzi chasing us. I'm not comfortable being photographed, though I accept it is part of the job. I had to ask myself, 'What comes first, being a celebrity or footballer?

I've always had people come up to me to say that they admire the way I play, and then they tell me they're not United fans. That's always been nice.

As a footballer I can't imagine life without the use of one of my legs... Sadly this is exactly what happens to thousands of children every year when they accidentally step on a landmine.

I just want to be as successful as I can in football.

I had my footballing heroes such as Bryan Robson and Diego Maradona but my dad was a rugby league star, and he was my real hero. But the relationship with my mum was rocky and we saw things that would affect any youngster.

When Cristiano Ronaldo gets the ball, you can just leave him to it while he beats player after player.

Looking at me from the outside, it is not very obvious, I know half my family is black and I feel close to their culture and their color.