Boy stands in for Owen

Last updated : 10 March 2004 By Liverpool Echo

Aaron's footballing skills can be seen on television after the original actor chosen to play Owen in a Persil washing powder advert wasn't good enough at soccer to emulate the Anfield hero.

Actor Josh Hedley, aged eight, a Londoner and ardent Arsenal fan, got the job of playing the young Michael.

While it is Josh's face which can be seen on screen, the legs and the skills belong to Liverpool fan Aaron.

The youngster was spotted by production team scouts as he played for local under-8s team St Peter and Paul in Kirkby.

His mother Marie, 35, said: "Aaron has never done any acting before, but they saw him play and invited him to an audition.

"They took us over to north Wales and spent three days filming."

Aaron was taken to Owen's childhood home in Hawarden where the advert was shot.

Unfortunately the youngster was unable to meet his hero, because he was with the rest of the Liverpool team preparing for last week's Uefa Cup tie against Levski Sofia.

But Aaron has been promised lots of Owen goodies as reward for his performance.