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I signed schoolboy forms for Watford when I was 12, but then my parents got divorced, and I never kicked a ball for three years. I rebelled, I left home, but getting back into football sorted me out. It was the second chance I needed.

There is a history of footballers in my family; my granddad played for Notts County and my dad played at county level.

When my kids were young, we could move and experience different countries and, in my case, different clubs and different football, but there is a moment when they need some stability.

I know many people who are actually queasy about the idea that their kids may harbour sporting ambitions.

We grew up in Woolton, Liverpool. We didn't have much, but it was irrelevant. We played out a lot with all the kids on the street.

That first group of Manchester players allowed me to enjoy coaching at a very young age that motivated me to do it. If it wasn't good, I might have made a career change.

Football is multigenerational. It used to be about fathers taking their sons. Now we're taking our daughters, too.

I have a fantastic team, and it's much easier having children, because that creates a natural limit.

I am endlessly fascinated that playing football is considered a training ground for leadership, but raising children isn't. Hey, it made me a better leader: you have to take a lot of people's needs into account; you have to look down the road. Trying to negotiate getting a couple of kids to watch the same TV show requires serious diplomacy.

I was always taught by my father to challenge myself and to continue to evolve in my career, and I saw the move to Manchester United as an opportunity to grow as a player and as a person.