Kai Rooney appears set to follow in his father Wayne 's famous footsteps following an astonishing season on the goalscoring front for Manchester United 's Under-12s.
After famously completing a move to United for a then club-record £27million from boyhood club Everton at the tender age of 18, Wayne went on to become the greatest goalscorer in the club's history, hitting 253 goals during a trophy-laden 13-year stint in Manchester. Rooney well-and-truly etched his name into the club's record books and now it appears his son is well-placed to emulate his feat.
Kai, 12, signed for United amid much fanfare back in December 2020, and the eldest son of the Red Devils legend hasn't disappointed since. Young Rooney enjoyed an incredible campaign in the season just gone with United's U12s, finishing the year with simply staggering numbers.
Kai completed the campaign with 56 goals and a further 28 assists. And as if his ties to his legendary footballing father and his impressive goalscoring exploits weren't enough to get the tongues of United fans wagging, the 12-year-old recorded strikes against some of the club's greatest rivals.
Rooney Jr. hit the headlines back in early April after scoring a stunner against noisy neighbours Manchester City but that was nowhere near as eye-catching as his performance against old foes Liverpool. Earlier in the campaign, Kai scored four in one game against the Reds.
Kai, who wears the No.18 shirt as opposed to the No.10 like his father, also single-handedly dismantled Stoke City is another of his stand-out displays. The U12 star hit a hat-trick of goals and assists in a stunning 6-3 win for United over the Potters last season.
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Should he continue this goalscoring form into next season and beyond, there's every reason to believe there will be another Rooney gracing Old Trafford and guiding the club to glory in the future. And he could well be playing alongside the son of another United icon.
Kai was this season joined by Cristiano Ronaldo's son in the Under-12 setup, leading Red Devils' fans to reminisce of success from days gone by and dream of both Rooney and Ronaldo helping the club to silverware once again in the future. If Kai's goalscoring exploits from the season just finished are anything to go by, the signs are promising.
Kai spent time with City, as well as Bethesda Soccer Club in the United States during his father's stint with DC United in Major League Soccer before signing with United back in December 2020. Following the club's announcement that Kai had joined the ranks, Wayne declared: "I'm a proud dad.
“He’s been working hard, he obviously came over to the States with us to continue with his football. He went on trial with Manchester United and he’s impressed the coaches.
"He signed his forms yesterday so I’m delighted for him. He did have other options, other clubs to go to but he decided he wants to sign for Manchester United, so it was his decision and not mine.”
Rooney senior appears set to remain as manager of Derby County next season despite the club's relegation to League One. The Rams remain embroiled in a crippling financial crisis and continue to face an uncertain future.
