Wayne Rooney’s son has been fast-tracked through Manchester United’s age groups after impressing already this summer and will be able to show his talents where the likes of Luka Modric have starred
Wayne Rooney’s son, Kai, may have some big boots to fill in football after his dad burst onto the scene at Everton and barely looked back, but he’s enjoying his own rapid rise at Manchester United. The youngster is one of the stars of the club’s academy and is enjoying an impressive time as part of the setup.
The 15-year-old is stepping up to the Red Devils’ Under-19 side after earning a surprise call-up for the Mladen Ramljak Tournament in Croatia, per reports. Rooney will face players four years his senior at the competition hosted by Dinamo Zagreb.
The forward jumps three age groups after impressing for United already in a pre-season tournament, Northern Ireland’s Super Cup NI. The youngster produced a goal and assist as his team reached the final to lose to Southampton.
And now he has the opportunity to light up a tournament that has seen the likes of Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga shine in the past. Some way to spend the school holidays.
United will be joined by Rapid Bucuresti, Juventus and Dinamo Zagreb in Group A in Croatia and get underway against the former. The winner of that group will take on the victor of Group B, which will see Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk contend for a place in the final.
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The son of United’s top goalscorer ever is not alone in being fast-tracked into the U19 squad either. Rooney will be joined by some of his contemporaries in the U15 and U16s, including JJ Gabriel who has been dubbed Kid Messi and the Red Devils battled to keep at the club.
Rooney Sr watched from the stands when Kai competed in the tournament in Northern Ireland. The former Derby and Birmingham boss saw young Southampton ace Jude Daniels troll him by using his own celebration when scoring against United.
Daniels tapped home from close range before facing the crowd and replicating Rooney’s iconic punching celebration to rub salt into the wound. The youngster then fell slowly backwards for his team-mates to catch him.
Rooney Jr has seen some success this year however and scored the match-winning goal when the Red Devils won the U15 Premier League Floodlit Cup North title. The academy star capped off a remarkable turnaround for his side in extra time after the team came back from three goals down with just 12 minutes left on the clock, against local rivals Manchester City.
The youngster has had to contend with having a famous father too during his time coming through the youth ranks. “A few years ago, I remember my son Kai took a penalty at St George’s Park, where we were for a tournament,” Coleen told the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.
“It went to penalties, Kai stepped up and just skied it. Afterwards I asked him how he could take a penalty like that, and he told me he was just fuming as the goalkeeper was saying ‘Your dad’s s***’, and he got dead angry.
“It doesn’t happen to him very often, but it did then, and you can see in some games where they give you a little push. He’s strong-minded though and usually shrugs it off.”
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