It has been a tough few months for Kai Rooney, the son of Manchester United legend Wayne, but the youngster is still paying attention to Marcus Rashford's performances in Barcelona
Manchester United's Kai Rooney in action during the Under 18 Premier League between Manchester United U18s and Middlesbrough U18s at Carrington Training Ground on August 23, 2025 in Manchester, England
Kai Rooney's development at Manchester United has been halted by an injury
View 3 Images
Wayne Rooney's son Kai sent a message of support to Marcus Rashford after the new Barcelona forward scored an amazing goal.
Rashford found the net in his club's 3-1 victory over Elche, firing a ferocious left-footed shot off the underside of the cross bar from a tight angle. Elsewhere Kai is part of the United academy and has dreams of following in the footsteps of his illustrious father.
However, the 16-year-old is nursing an injury which left him devastated, having enjoyed a sharp rise through the ranks at United. As he nurses his injury, he watched Rashford strut his stuff in La Liga. After the former Red Devils forward scored, he reposted an Instagram post from Rashford on his own social media page.
The England international uploaded a picture of himself celebrating his strike. In the caption, he said: "Home win, good vibes. Thanks for your support. Tieree that one was for you as promised."
Unfortunately for Kai, many of his recent posts have not been as positive. When he suffered his injury, he uploaded a post on social media where he said "Life can't get worse" as a caption. It was a devastating moment as he has impressed while playing in the United development teams.
He took the same first step as his famous father, impressing in the Super Cup NI in Northern Ireland, just like the iconic United captain did when he was a teenage prodigy at Everton. Inevitably, Kai has been compared to his father, who is United's record goal-scorer.
However, Rooney urged football fans and the media to separate his son's career from his own. He said to BBC Sport: "I just let him play. I think they started the competition well, they won 3-0, he scored the penalty and got an assist.
Marcus Rashford of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team's third goal with teammate Fermin Lopez during the LaLiga EA Sports match between FC Barcelona and Elche CF at Spotify Camp Nou on November 02, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain
Rashford is enjoying his time at Barcelona
View 3 Images
"So I think he started OK. He just plays and that's all he's done during his time playing. I think it's very unfair for anyone to expect him to go and do all kinds.
"He's just playing, he's a 15-year-old boy playing his football, enjoying it. Of course he gets different attention to a lot of his team-mates but I think he handles that really well."
Meanwhile, Rashford admitted he was delighted with his strike against Elche. He said: "I just try to do the right things on the pitch.
Kai Rooney and Wayne Rooney during Nordoff Robbins' Legends of Football at JW Marriott Grosvenor House on October 07, 2024 in London, England
Rooney has urged football fans not to compare his son's performances with his career
View 3 Images
"Even today, I could have had more assists or goals. Sometimes the decision making to shoot or pass was wrong, but I am going to have days like this.
"The important thing is always the team and today we won. So I am happy for this. My focus is not so much on the output.
"If I am doing the right things, I know I will always be able to score and assist. My focus is with the team, to build relationships and feel comfortable.”