Former Manchester United striker reveals that he stopped eating butter after Gary Neville jibe

Gary Neville’s former Manchester United teammate has revealed that the former defender stopped him from eating butter during their days playing together.

The Sky Sports pundit spent his whole career at Old Trafford, retiring in 2011 before moving into punditry work.

Speaking to Manchester Evening News, a former teammate of Neville’s has lifted the lid on their relationship and said that sometimes he didn’t want to see his old colleague.

Former striker Eddie Johnson said: ‘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!’

Johnson continued to open up on his relationship with Neville, stating that there were times when he would avoid the defender.

Gary Neville put his former teammate off butter for a decade after making a jibe

The defender spent his whole career at Manchester United after graduating from the academy

Eddie Johnson (centre) has opened up on his experience with Neville in an honest interview

‘Sometimes I didn’t want to see Gary Neville,’ he continued.

‘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.’

Johnson joined Manchester United’s youth academy from Crewe Alexandra in 1999 and was part of their FA Youth Cup-winning team as he netted a goal against Middlesbrough in the final.

However, the striker never made it at Old Trafford and departed for Bradford City in 2006 after loan spells with Royal Antwerp, Coventry and Crewe.

Retiring in 2012 at Portland Timbers, Johnson is now the manager of Dundee under-20s in Scotland.