Kai Rooney will finally grace the hallowed turf of Old Trafford next month when Manchester United take on Peterborough United in the FA Youth Cup, but his father Wayne may not be able to watch.
Kai Rooney could finally follow in his father’s footsteps when he makes his debut at Old Trafford next month. The 15-year-old son of Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has attracted attention at academy level with his skills as both a centre-forward and a winger.
However, due to his age, he has not yet had the chance to play on the hallowed turf of the Theater of Dreams. All that could change in December when Darren Fletcher’s Under-18s face Peterborough United in the third round of the FA Youth Cup.
According to the Daily Mail, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are looking to cut costs across the board, with the team denied the opportunity to play in the fifth leg at Old Trafford last season. Instead, the match was held at Leigh Sports Village.
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But this time, United’s youth teams have been given permission to play at Old Trafford. The Manchester Evening News reported that given Rooney is part of Fletcher’s group, this could be the perfect stage for him to make his long-awaited debut at the stadium.
Rooney is currently nearing the end of his recovery from an injury that sidelined him for most of the season. He appeared in just two games this season, but suffered a setback in September.
In recent months, he has hinted that he is making a good recovery and has even returned to training on grass. However, it remains to be seen whether he will be fit for next month’s match.
Unfortunately, his father Wayne may not be able to watch his debut for the Stretford End. It was recently revealed that the Manchester United and England legend is unable to attend his son’s football matches due to his fame.
Wayne’s wife Coleen revealed last year while appearing on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! “I think that’s the case with kids. It’s hard to be out for days on end. Kai told Wayne to stop coming to football games because when they played in grassroots tournaments and things like that, they were always surrounded by crowds and couldn’t even watch the games.
“How do you say to all these kids, ‘Come out, I’m watching my son?'” Grown-ups, it’s not like you can talk to them, so he (Kai) just said, “Oh, Dad, you’re not even watching me play anyway, so there’s no point in coming.”
“It’s sad, but it can’t be helped anyway. At the same time, the fans help you and get you this far.”
Wayne said that although he wasn’t able to watch his son play in person, he still plays an important role in his son’s development by giving advice at home. Appearing on The Wayne Rooney Show last month, the 40-year-old explained: “Where I live there’s a little pitch and when the kids say, ‘I’m going to the pitch,’ they just tie the ball in the top corner.
“So, I remember telling them when I was younger, I’d just set up a little square to practice passing and play against the wall. So I’m very similar. (I tell them), ‘You need to work on your speed, you need to work on your technique and control.'” Otherwise, you go out and you’re like, ‘Watch me hit the ball into the top corner.’ ”
Regarding his son’s development, he added: “He’s just playing. He’s a 15-year-old kid who enjoys playing soccer. Of course he gets different attention from a lot of his teammates, but I think he handles it really well.”
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