Proud dad – Wayne Rooney watches his son at Old Trafford

Manchester United’s Under-18 side hosted Derby County in the FA Youth Cup fourth round at the Theatre of Dreams and edged out a 2–1 victory to secure progression, with Darren Fletcher’s young side widely viewed as strong contenders in this season’s competition. Still, much of the spotlight fell on Kai Rooney.

The 16-year-old was introduced from the bench during extra time and was immediately greeted by loud chants of ‘Rooney! Rooney!’ as Fletcher prepared to send him on. It was Kai’s first appearance at Old Trafford, watched closely by parents Wayne and Coleen, while United figures including director of football Jason Wilcox, recruitment chief Christopher Vivell and academy director Stephen Torpey were also in attendance. Former United midfielder Darron Gibson followed proceedings from the directors’ box as well.

Despite featuring two years below his age group, Kai made a positive impression during his brief outing.

Wayne Rooney’s attempt to go unnoticed did not last long, however, as supporters quickly recognised the former United striker and gathered around him. Rooney has deliberately limited his attendance at Kai’s matches to avoid drawing attention away from his son.

Coleen Rooney previously addressed the issue during her appearance on 'I’m a celebrity…get me out of here' in 2024, explaining the reasoning behind Wayne’s absence from Kai’s early games. "How do you say to all of these kids: 'Go away, I’m watching my son?'" she said. "Adults, it’s different, you could speak to them, so he just said: 'Oh, dad there’s no point you coming because you don’t even watch me play anyway'."

Wayne himself has spoken openly about taking a hands-off approach to Kai’s development. While watching him at the SuperCupNI tournament in Northern Ireland, the former England captain told the BBC: "He has great coaches at Manchester United, so I take a stand-off approach. I speak to him, but for me it's all about his mentality and his mindset, to make sure he keeps enjoying it - that's the main thing for me."