Man Utd icon and BBC star opens up on living with Jason Statham at 17 before they became famous

MANCHESTER UNITED icon Dion Dublin has opened up on living with Jason Statham as a teenager. The unlikely duo lived together in Norfolk while Dublin, now 57, was coming through the Norwich academy. Jason Statham at the London premiere of Shelter Credit: Getty Dion Dublin before a Premier League match between Aston Villa and Leeds United at Villa Park Credit: Getty He has explained that Statham, 59, was close friends with his brother, Ash, who worked as a DJ in Great Yarmouth, even playing in the same band together. Dublin said to FourFourTwo: “I was a 17-year-old boy who would go and watch their band then I’d go watch my brother’s DJ sets with Jason, then me and J would go out after. It was good fun. Very chilled out.” Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Former forward Dublin left Norwich for Cambridge United in 1988, making 156 appearances for the club, before a switch to Manchester United four years later. He then established himself with moves to Coventry City and Aston Villa, eventually ending his career back where it started, as Dublin signed for Norwich in 2006. But Statham was also a promising athlete during his time living with the Dublin brothers in Great Yarmouth. The world famous movie star was a high diver and even competed for England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand. And Dublin has recalled that the Norfolk coast was the perfect training venue with the former Team GB star frequenting a seafront leisure complex in Great Yarmouth. The four-cap England international has also explained that Statham’s charisma was clear even as teenagers. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS Dublin in action for Manchester United against Oldham in the 1994 FA Cup Credit: Getty He told The Telegraph: “He didn’t try very hard to be cool, it was just him. You could imagine the reaction when he did his somersault. “I used to get his flick-ons. Whatever girls Jason didn’t fancy, I’d be all over. They were great times. Amazing.” Statham’s effortless coolness has resulted in him becoming one of Hollywood’s most marketable stars, with his movies grossing a staggering £6.3billion. This includes a massive £1.12 billion coming from his role in 2015’s Furious 7. Meanwhile, Dublin has forged a post-playing career on the small screen, initially working for Sky Sports before a move to the BBC. Now Dublin has become a household name with his regular appearances on Match of the Day and Homes Under the Hammer. Comment now