Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney was allowed to watch son Kai in action again but he saw the limelight stolen by one of his team-mates. Rooney junior has become a regular fixture for the Red Devils’ under-18 side this season as he attempts to follow in his dad’s glittering footsteps.

The 16-year-old was once again in action this week as he played in United’s 6-1 win against Derby County. Having initially been named on the bench, Kai was introduced as a second-half substitute.

And he made sure to have an impact as he teed up Noah Ajayi for the final goal of the game. Rooney was spotted watching the game in the crowd, alongside former teammate John O’Shea.

Current United boss Michael Carrick also watched the game and was joined by backroom team members Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate. Wayne is now back watching his lad, after previously being asked to stay away when he was playing in less high-profile surroundings, having also watched his Old Trafford debut earlier this year.

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Speaking in 2024, wife Coleen said: "That's the thing with kids I think, it's hard to go on days out. 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 Rooney will have been thrilled to have seen his son contribute, Kai’s team-mates actually ended up stealing the headlines. Ajayi netted twice, while Louie Bradbury and JJ Gabriel bagged braces of their own.

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Rooney has previously offered his take on the current crop of young players at Old Trafford and claimed that more pressure was heaped upon them following the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, which saw his son play for the team.

He said: "There's a bit more pressure on them as well. Kai and [when Cristiano] Ronaldo came back, Ronaldo's lads and Michael Carrick's lad were all on the same team.

"You go and watch and then all of a sudden there's like 10 times the amount of people that's normally there, all around the pitch watching, so there's a lot more pressure because they're coming to watch the three kids to see how they play and stuff. They've got to be ready."

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