Former Manchester United striker Eddie Johnson has revealed he stopped eating butter for 10 years because of a comment made by Gary Neville.
Johnson came through United's academy but only made one appearance for the senior team, coming off the bench in a 3-2 win over Leeds in the League Cup in 2003. The forward had spells on loan at Royal Antwerp, Coventry and Crewe Alexandra before making a permanent switch to Bradford in 2006 in a bid for more regular game time.
Despite departing Old Trafford with just one first-team appearance to his name, Johnson learned a lot at United and credits experienced players like Neville, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs for teaching him valuable lessons. In an interview with the Manchester Evening News, Johnson recalled: "I didn't eat butter for a decade because of Gary Neville.
"I struggled with body fat which was a big thing. He saw me putting butter on my toast at breakfast and he shouted across the canteen 'Eddie I am sure your body fat is too high.' And I froze. Even when I left the club I didn't eat butter!
"Sometimes I didn't want to see Gary Neville but when I left what I realised was that he was putting demands of what the first team expect from you. Some people recognise what is going on and I probably didn't but I have taken those lessons into everything I do now and so I owe the club a lot.
"Ryan Giggs was fantastic with the younger lads in terms of support and guidance. Roy Keane was the same. I had a conversation with Roy Keane about going out on loan to Coventry and whether I should stay at United and go on a pre-season tour [in 2004].
"He told me if I was going to be at Coventry all season, which I was, then he'd recommend going in there early in pre-season, working hard and gaining that respect at Coventry rather than going on a first-team tour with United and coming in late and upsetting the balance. Most of the senior lads were great."
However, Johnson went on to add that World Cup winners Fabien Barthez and Laurent Blanc were among the few players he "never really liked" as they "wouldn't acknowledge you", while he felt fellow striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy "didn't like the young lads". He said: "There were only three people at United I never really liked, Barthez, Laurent Blanc and Ruud.
"Laurent and Fabien wouldn't acknowledge you which was poor considering the rest of the first team were great. I didn't necessarily dislike Ruud but he made it tough for you. Gary Neville made it tough but never made you feel like you were below him, whereas Ruud was different.
"I felt he didn't like the young lads. He couldn't stand Ronaldo at first! He was making run after run and Ronaldo would take ages to pass the ball."
