Kai Rooney ditches golden rule for dad Wayne and Man Utd | Football | Sport

Kai Rooney will be absent from Manchester United’s Under-18s side for the FA Youth Cup final. However, the son of club icon Wayne has caught the eye this season, having lifted the restriction that previously prevented his father from watching him play. The academies of United and fierce rivals Manchester City will lock horns at the Joie Stadium on Thursday evening in the showpiece final.

Having played a part in helping his team reach the showpiece occasion, a thigh injury sustained in March will cruelly leave Kai on the sidelines. He had been enjoying a breakthrough campaign with the Under-18s, earning valuable playing time at just 16. Kai was also instrumental in the club’s Under-16s claiming the Premier League Shield earlier this season.

While he will miss the Youth Cup final, his potential is beyond question, and father Wayne can now watch his son play without concern, as a ban on him attending matches appears to have been lifted.

Kai has been part of United’s academy since the age of 11, and carrying such a celebrated surname around Carrington initially proved more of a burden than an advantage.

Wayne originally turned up regularly to cheer on his son, but his wife, Coleen, revealed in 2024 that Kai had asked him to stop attending, as the United legend was continually mobbed by supporters.

“That’s the thing with kids I think, it’s hard to go on days out,” she said. “Kai told Wayne to stop coming to football games when he played grassroots tournaments and stuff because he used to get swarmed, and he couldn’t even watch the game.

“How do you say to all of these kids, ‘Go away, I’m watching my son?’ Adults, it’s different, you could speak to them. So he (Kai) just said, ‘Oh, Dad, there’s no point in you coming because you don’t even watch me play anyway.’ Which is sad, but it can’t be helped anyway.”

However, Kai seems to have relaxed this position as he’s matured and the situation around him has evolved. In February, he earned some playing time for the Under-18s in a 6-1 victory over Derby County, with father Wayne amongst those in attendance.

Just a month later, Wayne was seen in the stands as Kai remained on the substitutes’ bench during the Under-18s’ Youth Cup quarter-final triumph against Sunderland.

The teenager made his maiden appearance at Old Trafford earlier in the year as well, with both parents watching from a crowd that included current interim first-team manager Michael Carrick and assistant Steve Holland.

When Kai helped the Under-16s secure the Premier League Shield against Burnley in March, his mother and father were present, and they even shared a celebratory family photograph on Instagram.

The young striker will be eligible to pen his first professional deal when he reaches 17 and completes his education. Two months ago, he put pen to paper with agency Triple S Sports Management, which had represented his father throughout his distinguished career.