Wayne Rooney's son Kai has taken to social media following his involvement in the FA Youth Cup tie against Derby County at Old Trafford on Friday evening. Fellow highly-rated Red Devils talents JJ Gabriel and Chido Obi began the game in the starting XI while Rooney watched proceedings from the substitutes' bench.
Following a goalless 90 minutes, the hosts broke the deadlock through an unfortunate own goal before Obi doubled the advantage in the 103rd minute, though Derby managed to grab a consolation. Rooney entered the fray in the 99th minute, marking his Old Trafford debut under the watchful eye of his father, United icon Wayne, whilst Obi - who arrived from Arsenal last year - completed the entire contest.
Following the final whistle, Kai marked his maiden competitive outing at Old Trafford while Rooney Sr and interim Reds boss Michael Carrick observed proceedings from the stands. Wayne also utilised social media to send a message to his son, Kai. He posted: "Then and now. Proud of you, Kai."
Obi and young Rooney also interacted via social media. Obi shared images on Instagram which prompted an immediate reaction from Rooney, who commented: "Brotherrrr," accompanied by a love heart. Rooney, who also uploaded photographs with the caption "FAYC W," received acknowledgement from Obi.
The 18-year-old responded simply with a love struck emoji.
Meanwhile, Carrick made his presence felt at the Under-21s' fixture against Sporting Clube de Portugal on Tuesday evening, marking his second visit to an academy match within a week, following Friday's appearance.
Speaking to MUTV about his attendance, Carrick said: "My message of support is that I'm coming along to watch and I'm excited. I was lucky enough to play and win the FA Youth Cup when I was young at West Ham.
"It's such an important competition, especially for this club. Young players, Old Trafford under the floodlights, feeling what it means, a bit of expectation. It's a fantastic opportunity for the young boys to go and take the next step. We're all fully behind them, it'll be a tough game, but we're looking forward to it."
The young Red Devils will now square off against Oxford United, who saw off Colchester.