Kai Rooney drops Man Utd hint as dad faces ‘heartbreaking’ absence | Football | Sport

Kai Rooney, the teenage son of Manchester United icon Wayne, has dropped a strong hint that he could be set for his Old Trafford debut on Friday evening.

Ahead of the fixture, the young Rooney took to Instagram to share a throwback snap of himself as a youngster strolling across the Old Trafford turf alongside his legendary father during the 2014/15 campaign. His caption simply read “OT” accompanied by a red heart and eyes emoji.

While the Under-18s typically play their fixtures at either Leigh Sports Village, or the Carrington training complex, high-profile encounters such as FA Youth Cup matches are often relocated to Old Trafford. The iconic stadium is free this weekend with the senior squad travelling to face Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

Discussing the prospect of Kai treading the same path as his father, Coleen Rooney told the Mirror back in 2024: “We’ve never pressured them into even playing football. We’ve always just let them decide what they want to do.

“My eight-year-old was playing and doing really well, but then decided he didn’t want to, and that’s okay.

“I think they sometimes get pressure off other people, you know. People approach them now and then if we’re out, they do say; ‘Are you are as good as your dad’?

“Kai says; ‘I’m a different type of player’. You’ve got to let them know that you don’t have to follow and to be your own person,” Coleen went on.

“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 you coming because you don’t even watch me play anyway.’

“Which is sad, but it can’t be helped anyway. At the same time, the fans help you along the way and get you where you are.”

United’s Youth Cup match against Derby is set for the fourth round proper. United last clinched the competition back in 2022 when they triumphed over Nottingham Forest in the final.