Man Utd are in FA Youth Cup action on Friday night and there could be a historic home debut.
Kai Rooney could make his Old Trafford debut when Manchester United host Derby County in the FA Youth Cup on Friday night.
Darren Fletcher's side defeated Peterborough United 1-0 in the third round of the prestigious youth competition and will return to the Theatre of Dreams when they host Derby in the fourth round tonight. It will be the first time the U18s have played this calendar year following a winter break.
JJ Gabriel scored the only goal as United defeated Peterborough last time out, but he won't be the only exciting wonderkid on display against Derby. Fletcher will return to his U18s role after his recent stint as interim head coach of the first team and could give Rooney his first appearance at Old Trafford. The 16-year-old took to social media on Friday morning and uploaded a throwback picture of himself and his legendary father, along with the caption: "OT" followed with both a love heart and an eyes emoji.
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Kai Rooney set for Old Trafford debut
Manchester United could give Kai Rooney his Old Trafford debut when they face Derby County in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup tonight. The winners of the match have been drawn away at Oxford United or Colchester United in the fifth round, and the tie must be decided on Friday night, with extra-time and penalties on the cards if the match ends in a draw.
Darren Fletcher already has a host of exciting attacking talent at his disposal at U18s level and could add to that if he gives teenager Rooney a chance. The 16-year-old has shone throughout the age groups at Carrington and has already made two appearances for the U18s, scoring once.
Kai Rooney could make his Old Trafford debut for Manchester United tonightplaceholder image
Kai Rooney could make his Old Trafford debut for Manchester United tonight | IG: @kairooney.10
Just because Rooney appears to be in the squad to face Derby tonight, there is no guarantee his father, Wayne, will be in attendance to watch him. That is because Kai previously decided to ban his did from attending his grassroots matches due to the excessive attention he drew on the sidelines.
"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," Coleen Rooney revealed during her appearance on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! in 2024. "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 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."
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