Wayne Rooney’s son Kai lined up for surprise Old Trafford debut in December
Kai Rooney looks set to be the next in his family to grace the hallowed turf of Old Trafford.
Kai, the eldest of Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney’s four sons, is a member of the Red Devils’ Under-18 squad.
United’s U18s, coached by club legend Darren Fletcher, will face Peterborough United in the third round of the FA Youth Cup, with the fixture scheduled for a 7pm kick-off on December 9.
Luckily for the budding United talents, the clash against Peterborough has been confirmed to take place at Old Trafford.
It will be Fletcher’s first time managing United’s U18s in the competition, one which they have won a record 11 times.
Will Kai Rooney play for United against Peterborough?
However, Rooney’s spot in the team for the third round clash is no guarantee given he has been sidelined since September with a foot injury.
It was a setback that left the 15-year-old devastated as he shared a picture of himself at the time wearing a protective boot and on crutches along with the caption: “Life can’t get worse.”
Prior to the injury, Rooney had turned out twice for United’s U18s via two substitute appearances against Everton and Middlesbrough.
Although he was on the pitch for no longer than 20 minutes in either clash, Rooney managed to get on the scoresheet against Middlesbrough as his 77th-minute strike was the icing on the cake in the Red Devils’ 5-0 win.
But Rooney has had to make do with watching his United teammates from the sidelines since.
What are the recent results of Manchester United’s U18s?
Unfortunately the U18 Premier League season to date hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Fletcher’s side.
United’s U18s enjoyed a blistering start to the campaign as they won five matches on the bounce without conceding.
But since then, the Young Devils have endured a five-game winless run and have been kept scoreless in their last three fixtures.
With Rooney in a race against time to be fit, Fletcher may also look to call on the youthful exuberance of fellow 15-year-old talent JJ Gabriel.
The fleet-footed teen, who already boasts 226,000 followers on Instagram, has wowed fans with his absurd trickery in viral videos on social media.
He’s also backed it up on the field with seven goals and one assist from nine appearances for United’s U18s.
Both Gabriel and Rooney will undoubtedly be hoping to emulate the feats of the latter’s legendary father should they step onto the pitch at Old Trafford against Peterborough.
The elder Rooney remains the Red Devils’ all-time leading goalscorer with an absurd haul of 253, which were scored over the course of 13 years.
During his time at Old Trafford, the 40-year-old collected five Premier League titles, an FA Cup, three League Cups as well as the Champions League.
Even after Rooney called time on his playing career, he still found a way to score a stunner at Old Trafford.
The United icon scored a scintillating free-kick during a legends match against Celtic in September 2024 in a timely reminder he still had plenty of magic in his feet.
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