Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed how he might start wearing a tin hat to training next season.

Fergie revealed how Rooney fires a couple of shots over his head at training every morning.

He said: "When he goes on to that training field, the first thing Rooney does is get a ball and batters it over my head. One of these days he will hit me - and he will get killed.

"Paul Scholes is the same. I was always shouting 'Scholes' as balls whistled by my head. And he'd reply 'What?' as if he was supposed to be doing that."

Midfielder Scholes has always been a Fergie favourite, turning in dynamic performances but keeping a low profile off the pitch. Rooney, 19, has made more headlines in the past 12 months - most of them unwanted - than Scholes has in his entire career.

But Ferguson insists the pair do have a lot in common.

The Old Trafford boss said: "Wayne is similar to Paul because he just loves playing.

"After training he gets the ball and does his free-kicks, he is finishing all the time. I always felt he was a player that could re-shape our future and that is the way it looks at the moment."