Manchester United team news | HDM Sport on Facebook ALEX Bruce has much to thank Manchester United for. As a youngster he would spend summer holidays at the club's training ground, fetching balls and watching sessions unfold alongside Sir Alex Ferguson on the sidelines.
There were days spent celebrating silverware at Old Trafford, too. A wide-eyed Bruce watched his father, Steve, win three Premier League titles with United and visit Wembley on no fewer than 11 occasions. Even memories of being dipped in the changing room bath by the mischievous Lee Sharpe cannot taint what Bruce calls a "privileged" upbringing.
Yet life at United also provided the worst day of his life. After seven years in the club's Academy, Bruce was told he would not be asked to sign schoolboy forms at the age of 16.
"It was heartbreaking," he said. "All I'd wanted growing up as a United fan was to play for them."
At least the consolation prize has arrived 13 years on. With James Chester out of action with a hamstring strain, Bruce is in line to start his first game at Old Trafford in Hull City's defence tonight.
"Fingers crossed, I'll get that chance," said Bruce. "It was one I marked down in the diary when the fixtures came out, one that I was looking forward to.
"It's a special club. I had a privileged upbringing there. I was watching Man United every week and they were winning trophies and going to Wembley. On my school holidays I'd get taken down to The Cliff to watch them train. It was often me and Kasper Schmeichel who'd get to have a kick around afterwards.
"Then I'd get lobbed in the big old fashioned bath by people like Lee Sharpe! It was a family club, the way Alex Ferguson had it back then. They're all good memories."
But not all of them. Not in 2001. In a promising young United side that included future Premier League players Phil Bardsley, Kieran Richardson and David Jones, there was no place for Bruce.
"That seems ages ago now, but I learned my trade there," he said.
"It was the worst day of my life being told I wouldn't stay on. I was a United fan and I was one of two who got rejected from the under-16s. I remember it well being sat down and told I wasn't for them.
"But looking back it was probably a good thing. It gave me that bit of fire in my belly. I went on to Blackburn and had some great times there, and that was the making of me."
Bruce would eventually make a name for himself with Blackburn before joining his father at Birmingham. It was there he made his one and only previous appearance at Old Trafford, coming on for the final three minutes of a 3-0 defeat in March 2006. Among the scorers that day was current United boss Ryan Giggs.
"I played there as a kid, came on as a sub once, but I've never started a game there," he said.
"I've got a lot of mates going. I don't think they'll be supporting me mind!"
For Bruce, it promises to be a memorable evening back at Old Trafford but the fixture has seen its significance stripped by weekend results. City, mathematically safe after Norwich's 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Sunday, have focus on next weekend's FA Cup final, while United's last hopes of qualifying for Europe appear over following a 1-0 loss to Sunderland. Remarkably, it is their guests making plans for the continent next season.
A sombre atmosphere is therefore expected for the final home game of United's disastrous season, but Bruce believes there is much to play for ahead of Wembley.
"I know the results came in for us and we're safe and that people will have an eye on the FA Cup final but there's places up for grabs in that team," said Bruce.
"When you get the chance you want to play well and whenever you go to Old Trafford in front of 75,000 I don't think you're looking at another occasion coming down the line. You're in the wrong game if you are. You should want to go there and put on a performance.
"You certainly don't want to go there half-hearted and we'll have lads who are looking forward to it just the same as any other game."
Bruce is among a number of players whose involvement appears uncertain against Arsenal in 11 days so how does he see his chances?
"God knows! You'll have to ask him in there," he answered pointing towards his father's office at the training ground.
"We played against Arsenal in the Premier League recently and didn't play too clever. He may look to change it but we'll have to wait and see.
"The next couple of games are important for myself and hopefully I can make a case for starting at Wembley."
That City are the ones with bigger concerns this evening is a measure of how the fortunes of Bruce's past and present clubs have differed this season. A dismal first year after Ferguson will conclude without silverware, but their visitors tonight still have ambitions to add the FA Cup to a famous campaign.
"It's been a massive achievement. The last couple of weeks have been a bit up and down but on a whole we've done brilliantly," said Bruce.
"Reaching Europe and an FA Cup final and being safe with two games to spare, we'd have snatched your hands off at that.
"Whatever happens it'll go down as a successful season, but it's important we finish it off with a big couple of weeks now.
"Our form of late has been a bit stop-start. Maybe that's human nature when you've got points on the board and you've got a FA Cup final to look forward to, but we're trying to eradicate that as we look to pick up some form going into the final.
"If people think they can just coast along until the Cup final, it doesn't work out like that. You've got to take your chances to play well."
