They say blood is thicker than water, but that does not ring true for Kyle Walker. The Tottenham right-back's own family is hoping he slips up against Sheffield United in the Capital One Cup semifinals.
Born and raised in the Steel City, the 24-year-old makes no secret of his Yorkshire roots and his love for the Blades, even going to Wembley last season to watch their FA Cup semifinal against Hull.
Walker spent many weekends as a child at Bramall Lane with his grandfather watching his idols Brian Deane and Peter Ndlovu, before stepping out on the hallowed turf himself.
The right-back remains a dyed-in-the-wool Blade despite only making a handful of appearances before leaving in 2009 for Spurs. On Wednesday, he will be hoping to help Tottenham reach the Capital One Cup final at his boyhood club's expense.
"It's such an important game, especially for me," Walker said. "It's not going to be easy. Hopefully we can get a comfortable lead here because this is our patch, but we need to play the football we have been playing in recent weeks.
"It is going to be a far from easy tie, especially up at Bramall Lane. They will chuck everything at us up there.
"I have obviously supported the club since I was a boy and played for the club before I came here. I know their spirit and what the coaches will want. It's going to take a lot of hard work for us to get to Wembley."
This will be just the second time Walker has played United, having featured at Bramall Lane in an FA Cup third-round tie when on loan at Aston Villa four years ago.
"I played for my first game on loan for Aston Villa against United in the cup and scored," the right-back said. "Not only that but it was with my left foot.
"I think as a professional footballer you have to do your job. My heart will always be with Sheffield United, but I am a Tottenham player and they are my club."
There are no such split loyalties for Walker's family, though.
"No (they won't be cheering me on) -- they are Sheffield United fans," he said. "Seriously"
"They obviously support me and want me to do well, but they will be wanting Sheffield United to go through, although it is a bit of a win-win situation for them because either way they will go to Wembley."
Even his three-year-old son, Roman, is a United fan -- "I'm a Blade so he's a Blade," Walker said - and will be among the friends and family at White Hart Lane on Wednesday.
The full-back was inundated with messages and phone calls after the draw pitted Spurs against United -- with the interest so intense that he outsourced ticket requests to his mother.
"I had to put a deadline on them," he said. "My mum has been dealing with all the requests from family and friends and she told them they all had to get in touch with her by a certain date or else they would be left disappointed.
"They had a couple of weeks to contract my mum before the cut-off point.
"Luckily everything went through my mum's phone so I didn't have to deal with it. I can't remember exactly how many I've got coming to the first game but I know there are 17 in the away end and the rest are in with the Tottenham fans."