Wayne Rooney's son, Kai, could make his Old Trafford debut next month as Manchester United's Under-18s take part in the FA Youth Cup following a Sir Jim Ratcliffe U-turn
Kai Rooney looks on
Manchester United youngster Kai Rooney is currently recovering from injury
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Kai Rooney could finally follow in his father's footsteps in gracing the hallowed turf of Old Trafford.
The 15-year-old Manchester United youth star has impressed at academy level, able to operate as a centre-forward or on the wing. However, due to his age bracket, he is yet to play at the Reds' home ground.
But that could all change in December, when Darren Fletcher's Under-18s take to the third round of the FA Youth Cup against Peterborough United. The side were denied the chance to play at the Theatre of Dreams last season in the fifth round of the competition, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos looked to cut costs across the board, as per the Daily Mail.
They instead played the game at the Leigh Sports Village. This time round, however, the United youth team have been given the green light to play the match at Old Trafford, which could see Rooney make his long-awaited debut at the famed stadium, given he is part of Fletcher's group.
It comes as Rooney nears the end of his recovery from injury, which has sidelined him for a large part of the season. The youngster made just two appearances this term before suffering the issue at the turn of September.
In the months since, he has hinted that he has recovered well and has even returned to grass, but it could be a race against time to be at full fitness in time for next month's clash. However, his father, Wayne Rooney, may not be able to watch him as he runs out at the Stretford End.
That's because it recently came to light that the Manchester United and England legend is unable to attend his son's matches as a result of his own fame. During a stint on ITV's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! last year, Wayne's wife, Coleen, explained: "That's the thing with kids I think, it's hard to go on days out.
Kai Rooney, Coleen Rooney and Wayne Rooney pose for a photo
Kai Rooney is Wayne Rooney's oldest son(Image: Getty Images for Disney+)
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"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."
While he has been unable to watch his son compete in person, Wayne has explained that he still plays a major part in his son's development with words of wisdom at home. Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show last month, the 40-year-old explained: "I'm quite lucky where I live as I've got a little pitch there and when the kids say, 'We're coming on the pitch', all they're gonna do is tie the balls on the top corner.
Kai Rooney with Manchester United's Under-18s
Kai Rooney has showed promise at a young age
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"So when I say to them when I was younger, I remember setting a little square to practice passing into it and just playing off 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 just like, 'Watch me hit the ball in the top corner.'"
On his son's progression, he added: "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."