Kai Rooney scored four goals in 44 minutes as Manchester United’s Under-18s thrashed Burnley 6-0 on Tuesday. The 16-year-old forward’s clinical display has left fans calling for him to be fast-tracked into Michael Carrick’s first team, who head to Chelsea on Saturday on the back of an eight-game winless run capped by a 3-0 loss to Bournemouth on Sunday.
According to the Daily Star, [Wayne Rooney’s eldest son](https://www.goal.com/en/lists/kai-rooney-wayne-son-shea-lacey-jj-gabriel-man-utd-first-team-michael-carrick-sir-alex-ferguson/bltf1a3d0f7937bfdab) started up front for United’s Under-18s against Burnley and opened the scoring in the 22nd minute. Rooney then found the net from the spot to make it 2-0 just four minutes after half-time as Darren Fletcher’s youngsters turned on the style.
Rooney completed his hat-trick in the 63rd minute before adding his and United’s fourth three minutes later, wrapping up a 44-minute haul to extend Fletcher’s side’s winning run. Jaume Camacho, a 17-year-old Spaniard, added a fifth before Noah Ajayi made it six in the 84th minute.
#### Manchester United fans call for Rooney first-team promotion
Rooney’s goals had supporters calling for his involvement in the first team, with one user suggesting he should be in the side that face Chelsea next in the Premier League, quipping: “What’s he up to Saturday about half 12ish?” A second said: “This boy is better than all our forwards. Him and Lacey fr.”
A third echoed: “Play him next match against Chelsea f\*\*\* it.” A fourth added: “Put him in the first team get some Rooney passion in the team.”
#### Rooney offers hope amid Carrick’s first-team struggles
The calls come with United’s first team struggling badly and Carrick’s job on the line after their winless run stretched to eight games with a 3-0 battering by Bournemouth on Sunday. Another furious fan wrote: “Just playing U-18 vs Chelsea, First team is s\*\*\*!!” A sixth asked: “Is he too young to start in the first team?”
Another joked: “Thank God I started supporting the U18 team and left the senior team.” Rooney now has five goals in three U18 Premier League games this season, having previously scored in a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest and provided an assist in a 6-3 win over Liverpool.
#### What next for Rooney and Manchester United?
Despite the wishful thinking, Rooney is still some way off in his development, having only made his Premier League 2 debut off the bench against Forest earlier this month.
Carrick, meanwhile, will stay in his post after crisis talks with the Glazers and INEOS, and the 45-year-old is set to take charge at Stamford Bridge on Saturday lunchtime.
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Working as a football journalist was my first childhood dream. I became a journalist and a member of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, but covering topics far from the world of sports until the opportunity came in early 2020 when I joined Kooora, and then GOAL.
My memories with football began with Zinedine Zidane's historic triumph in the 1998 World Cup and France's unforgettable win over Brazil in the final, along with the Egyptian league matches and the rivalry between Al Ahly, Zamalek, and Ismaily during that era.
I don't support a specific team in Europe, but I enjoyed watching Milan with "Maldini, Gattuso, Kaka, Pirlo" and was amazed by Barcelona with "Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Neymar, Villa, Messi, Suarez", before following Mohamed Salah in his exceptional career with Fiorentina, Roma, and Liverpool.
My unforgettable sports moment was Mohamed Aboutrika's goal in Al Ahly's victory over Sfaxien in the 2006 CAF Champions League final.
**My ideal lineup:** Buffon; Cafu - Van Dijk - Maldini - Roberto Carlos; Pirlo - Zidane - Iniesta - Kaka; Cristiano Ronaldo - Messi