Bruce Wary Of Rooney And Fellaini

Hull City defender Alex Bruce believes in-form Wayne Rooney and Marouane Fellaini could be a real threat in Saturday's clash at Old Trafford.

The Manchester United pair have been in fine fettle of late and have impressed Bruce, son of legendary Reds centre-back and current Hull boss Steve Bruce. Fellaini has emerged as a key figure while Rooney, who has six United goals to his name in four games against the Tigers, will be another man the visitors fear. Bruce junior hopes to return to first-team action following a hamstring problem after a run-out in the Under-21s on Monday.

"Wayne is always a threat isn't he?" Bruce told United Review. "He’s a great player. I watched the Manchester derby and he nearly scored a great goal with a turn when he ran through, only to be knocked off the ball at the end. It shows the quality he has and he’s always capable of scoring a great goal at any given moment, like he did at the KC Stadium last season when he produced a little bit of magic with a 25-yard volley from nowhere that got them back into the game. It’s one thing we have to keep on top of.

"Louis van Gaal has brought in some quality players like Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao. There are threats all over the pitch and I think Marouane Fellaini has done well in the past few weeks. He scored a great goal at West Brom and it was a huge boost in confidence for him. He’s been playing well and I think he has been one of United’s best players in recent weeks. He’s a threat as well as a big physical presence."

The 30-year-old believes van Gaal will continue to impose his own influence on the playing staff and emerge as a success in the job. "It’s still early days but he’s brought in a lot of players," added Bruce. "He’ll probably tell you he might want to bring in one or two more. It’s a transitional period and he wants to have his own stamp on things so you have got to always give the manager time. He’s got a good pedigree and has done well at every club he has been at before. I don’t see any reason why he won’t do well at United."