“He was even more wild when he was younger” - Manchester United star opens up on Wayne Rooney getting red card for fighting in U14s game

Manchester United reserve goalkeeper Tom Heaton has revealed that club legend Wayne Rooney was ‘wild’ during his youthful years. Heaton recalled a match when he played against Rooney when he was still at Everton.

While Wayne Rooney was a child prodigy during his time at Goodison Park, he was infamous for his aggressive behavior. Following his meteoric rise to stardom at Everton, he moved to United in 2004, where he spent most of his playing career.

Tom Heaton, meanwhile, is a product of the Red Devils academy. He returned to Old Trafford in 2021 after spells with Cardiff, Bristol City, Burnley and Aston Villa. During an interview with ManUtd.com, Heaton shared what it meant to play against a young version of Rooney:

"I played against him a number of times when he was at Everton. We were obviously the same age, and he was even more wild when he was younger, I think! I can remember now, we played away. I think we were Under-14s or Under-15s, and him and our centre-half were fighting on the pitch – and I literally mean fighting!

“Both got red cards, so I sort of knew of him at the time. He was obviously an incredible player with incredible ability, but he also had that fiery temperament, so yeah, (I've got) some real interesting memories of him.

At United, Rooney and Heaton didn’t have the opportunity to play together on the pitch. That's because Heaton spent most of his time out on loan and couldn’t secure a place in the starting XI. Rooney, meanwhile, left United in 2017 as the club’s highest goal scorer (253 goals).

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Wayne Rooney points out problems Manchester United are facing under Erik ten Hag

Wayne Rooney has given his take on why the Red Devils are struggling this season under Erik ten Hag.

The club’s all-time top scorer mentioned two problems. He said that the players can't deal with the pressure of playing for United and that there's no ‘leader’ in the dressing room, telling The Overlap (via United in Focus);

“For Manchester United, that’s (pressure) never going to stop, and that’s down to the players’ mindset. You play for Man United; you’re going to get criticised and get praised. You see it in the news, it’s constant on Manchester United. I don’t think the players can deal with it.

“That’s the issue, if you look at Manchester United now and look at the teams in the past, you’ve got five or six captains in every team. You look now, I don’t see one.”

Rooney is currently the manager of Championship side Plymouth Argyle.