Rooney denies bar brawl

Greater Manchester Police are beginning an investigation today into claims that England striker Wayne Rooney assaulted a 22-year-old student who taunted him in a nightclub

Officers launched the inquiry after the man, named in The Sun as Patrick Hanrahan, made a formal complaint against the £28.5 million Manchester United star.

It is alleged the 19-year-old player punched the music management student in the head three times at Tiger Tiger bar in Manchester city centre, in the early hours of yesterday morning.

Rooney's agent said the man confronted the teenager about his controversial transfer last August, but denied claims that his client had lashed out and insisted the player had not responded to taunts.

Mr Hanrahan, of Stockton on Tees, told The Sun: "He went absolutely crazy and swung his arms at me. He landed three punches - two on top of my head and one on the right side of my forehead."

It is claimed that the student screamed at the player, calling him "treacherous" and shouted "once a blue, always a blue", in reference to his former Everton career.

A spokesman for Rooney said: "Wayne was approached by a man he had never met in a menacing and threatening manner. At no stage did Wayne respond. The man was immediately asked to leave the nightclub in the company of security guards."