Former Man Utd wonderkid with XL Bully dog says he's 'going into hiding' after Rishi Sunak ruling

A former Manchester United youngster claimed he would go into hiding after the government ruled to ban the American bully XL dog.

This week, the UK prime minister, Rishi Sunak, announced that the breed would be banned following the death of a man in a suspected attack.

Sunak said the dogs were “a danger to our communities" and would be banned by the end of the year after Ian Price was injured by two dogs near Walsall on Thursday and died in hospital later. Meanwhile, an 11-year-old girl, along with two men, were attacked by an American bully XL in Birmingham on Saturday.

The prime minister added: "It is clear this is not about a handful of badly trained dogs - it is a pattern of behaviour and it cannot go on."

Sunak said he was ordering work from police and experts to define the breed so it could then be banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act, a law that applies in England, Wales and Scotland.

While some quarters have welcomed the ban, some animal groups and owners have hit back, claiming a breed-specific ban would not work.

One person criticising the prospective new legislation is former United wonderkid Demetri Mitchell, who claimed he will “go into hiding” with his American XL Bully dog in a social media post.

Mitchell came through the ranks at United alongside Scott McTominay and Dean Henderson but failed to make the grade at Old Trafford.

The left-midfielder is currently playing for Exeter City in League One after spells at Blackpool, Hearts and Hibernian.

In an attempt to show the American bully XL, Mitchell posted a collection of pictures and video of his dog, Zico, alongside the caption: “Guess we’re going into hiding Zico.”

Apart from the two most recent incidents, American bullies have been involved in several high-profile attacks in the past few years.

In April, a 65-year-old grandmother was killed after she tried to break up a fight between her two American bullies at her Liverpool home.

And last year a toddler was mauled to death in her own home by one of the dogs in St Helens, only a week after her family had bought it.

Moreover, in 2021, 10-year-old Jack Lis was attacked by an American bully XL in Caerphilly, later dying from severe neck and head injuries.

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