London, Apr. 4: England and Manchester United football star Wayne Rooney has revealed that he is a huge fan of Harry Potter and is more than willing to back a campaign to get children to read the series.

The footballer picked J K Rowling''s first novel, Harry Potter And The Philosopher''s Stone, as one of his favourite books, and said the series "really gets your imagination going".

Rooney is one of 20 Premier League footballers to recommend their favourite books as part of an initiative by the National Literacy Trust to inspire a love of reading in schoolchildren.

The Telegraph quoted Rooney as saying: "Harry Potter is almost every child''s favourite book and the same goes for a lot of adults too! JK Rowling is a fantastic author and I would encourage any child to read the Harry Potter books; they are full of excitement and adventure and they really get your imagination going."

A study commissioned by the trust has found that sports stars are among the most inspirational figures for young people.

The study, which questioned 2,176 primary and secondary school pupils aged seven to 15, looked at how role models can influence children''s reading habits.

It found that after family members, sports people were the public figures most likely to inspire reading. (ANI)