KUALA LUMPUR: Manchester United academy striker Ethan Wheatley has refuted claims suggesting any familial connections to Malaysia.

The 18-year-old Stockport-born said reports linking him to Malaysia and even Indonesia were untrue.

“I don’t have Malaysian blood. The reports are wrong, I’m not Malaysian or Indonesian,” he said when contacted by Bernama.

Wheatley’s name sparked discussions among local football enthusiasts after a talent scouting site claimed he had blood ties to Malaysia through his grandmother who was from Selangor.