Emile Heskey explains hands-off approach to raising two pro footballers

The former England striker says his sons Jaden and Reigan, both Manchester City players, benefited from him staying out of their development.

Former England striker Emile Heskey has spoken about raising two sons to professional football, with Jaden, 20, and Reigan, 18, both contracted to Manchester City. Jaden is currently on his second loan of the year at Sheffield Wednesday, while Reigan joined Koln in Germany this summer on his first loan away from City.

Heskey, who played for Liverpool, Leicester and Aston Villa in a 22-year career, said his background as a professional gave his sons an initial advantage, but that talent still had to follow. He credited Jaden in particular as a quick learner who listened closely to coaches.

The 48-year-old said his approach as a parent was to step back rather than scrutinize his sons from the sidelines. He avoided posting about them on social media and generally did not discuss football with them after training, reasoning that children can struggle when parents and coaches give conflicting instructions.

"It's not my career, it's theirs," Heskey said, questioning whether so-called pushy parents act for the child or for themselves.

When he did begin pressing his sons about their careers in their mid-teens, Heskey said he found they knew more about the game than he did because of the environment they were trained in. His former Liverpool teammate Jamie Carragher, whose son James plays for Wigan Athletic, has also previously warned about the damage difficult parents can do to promising players.