'Let's kick s***e out of him' - why Wayne Rooney targeted Man United legend's son who 'still has scars'

Wayne Rooney was always a fearsome competitor on the football pitch.

From the second he made his professional debut for Everton, his opponents always knew not to take facing him lightly. But Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer had been enjoying a growing reputation within the footballing world for years already.

Legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who would later bring Rooney to Old Trafford, first tried to sign the forward when he was 14 – a short time after the youngster had seemingly been trying to 'make a name for himself' by 'kicking the s***e out of' Steve Bruce's son, Alex, whenever they faced off against each other.

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With Alex playing for United's academy as a youngster and the former defender keen to follow in his dad's footsteps, Bruce admits to having a difficult time as a young player trying to make his way.

Bruce told United's in-house media: "As a kid, I played a lot, got quite good and United took me into the youth system. I loved that, but obviously, there were other things that went with the territory. 'You Steve Bruce’s son?' 'Yeah.' 'I’ve been told to kick you today.'

"Things like that. Wayne Rooney’s a good mate of mine, and when he used to play against us for Everton we would kick lumps out of each other. He openly tells me now that when we were kids they used to look forward to playing us. 'There’s Steve Bruce’s son. Let’s kick s***e out of him.'

"This was when we were 11, 12, 13 years of age. I’ve got the scars from that little Scouse scally!"

It's something Rooney himself also later admitted to, saying he once headbutted Bruce Jr. while playing against him