Ashley Young and his son Tyler made sure to soak up the moment ahead of Everton’s FA Cup clash against Peterborough at Goodison Park.
The Toffees are hosting the League One outfit in the third round of the iconic competition on Thursday night.
The tie has generated much attention given it has pitted Everton star Ashley, 39, against Tyler, 18, who plies his trade for Peterborough.
Ashley has enjoyed a distinguished career that has seen the veteran make 739 appearances for the likes of Watford, Aston Villa, Man United, Inter Milan and Everton.
The defender, who still regularly features for the Toffees, won the FA Cup with United back in 2015-16 and has played 31 times in the competition.
The Youngs were hoping to make history given no father and son have played against each other in 154 years of the competition, although both were named on the bench for the clash.
Ashley Young shared a touching moment with son Tyler, 18, ahead of Everton vs Peterborough
The FA Cup third round tie at Goodison Park on Thursday pitted the Youngs against each other
In the build-up to kick off, they shared a pre-match chat after being named on the subs bench
Nevertheless, Ashley and Tyler shared a touching moment ahead of kick off as they came together on the Goodison Park pitch for a pre-match chat.
In the heartwarming encounter, both Youngs could be seen smiling as they walked out of the tunnel together, before they stopped for a conversation.
After the game got underway, the two substitutes then warmed up on the touchline.
As they went through their stretches, they passed each other with Tyler seen grinning as he soaked up the occasion.
While Ashley is a distinguished veteran, Tyler is most certainly a rookie, with the creative midfielder having made only one professional appearance when he came off the bench in an EFL Trophy tie against Stevenage in October.
Meanwhile, he hadn’t made the matchday squad in Peterborough’s last 14 games before being selected on the bench for the Everton clash.
The 18-year-old was with QPR’s academy set-up during his formative years, before he moved to the Posh in the summer.
Speaking ahead of the game, Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson had teased the prospect of the Youngs coming up against each other.
To add to the occasion, both Youngs then warmed up alongside each other on the touchline
Ashley said it would be a career highlight if they did manage to get on the pitch together
‘Tyler will be on the bench though I can’t guarantee he’s going to get on,’ he confirmed on Wednesday. ‘I think the way the game is going will determine that.
‘He’s a talented boy. He couldn’t have a better role model than his dad, still playing at nearly 40. To do that, you have to be at it every day. It is a great example for all my young players.’
Meanwhile, Ashley and Tyler were interviewed on talkSPORT this week and the 39-year-old outlined what it would mean if they both did make it onto the pitch together.
‘I’ve said for years that if there was any way we could play against each other, it would be the pinnacle of my career,’ he said.
‘It would eclipse anything I’ve done. When the draw came out, I just couldn’t believe it. I had no words.’
His emotional comments come after his similarly proud reaction following Tyler’s debut last year.
Taking to social media to share a series of pictures of Tyler’s first professional appearance, he wrote: ‘Proud doesn’t even begin to explain this moment for you. Congrats on your debut son and hopefully many many more to come.’
