By Mark Shales & Danielle Wainwright
Union J singer Josh Cuthbert would love to release a charity single with Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.
The teenage heartthrob hit it off with the City shot-stopper on a drunken night out after last December’s X-Factor finals.
And football-mad Cuthbert hopes the pair can sort something out, provided Hart’s vocal talents are up to scratch.
“If he can sing it’d be great to get something done together,” he said.
“A football charity-song always works quite well so we’ll have to see.
“I don’t know if he’d want to work with a boy-band though, I’m not sure it’s really his scene.
“It would be fantastic though, he’s one of my idols.”
The 21-year-old pop star, who recently celebrated his birthday, was in Manchester performing at Key 103 Live last Sunday, alongside band-mates George Shelley, Jaymi Hensley and JJ Hamblett.
The foursome shot to fame at the end of last year, coming fourth in the ITV talent contest under the tutelage of judge Louis Walsh.
And Cuthbert revealed a chance meeting with Hart backstage led to one of the nights of his life.
“We met in the toilets after the X-Factor finals,” he explained “It was the day of the Manchester derby and he popped out of a cubicle just as I did.
“I was like ‘Oh wow, I’m a big fan’, and he said, ‘I’m a big fan too’, so he invited us out for a few drinks.
“We ended up getting smashed, had a great time and finished up in the casino actually winning a little bit.
“He’s a great influence though, and a top lad as well. I’d love to play in a charity football match with him sometime.”
Ascot-born singer Cuthbert almost made a career out of the beautiful game, before turning his attentions to the music industry.
“I’m a huge football fan and nearly played professionally, I just picked up too many injuries,” he explained.
“I’m really looking forward to the new season now and I’m excited to see how David Moyes does at United.
“As a band we play a lot of FIFA on tour which is fun. I’m probably the best but George tends to beat JJ quite a lot.”
Union J stormed the charts with debut-single Carry You last month and will release their first album in October, before embarking on a nation-wide tour.
But fans who can’t wait that long can catch the boys in comic-book sequel Kick Ass 2, which hits cinemas on August 14.
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