Wayne Rooney 's son, Kai, has followed up on a sensational season in Manchester United 's academy by signing a deal with Puma.
The 12-year-old hotshot scored a whopping 56 goals for his Red Devils youth team last term, putting his name on the map in a bid to follow in his father's legendary footsteps. Dad Wayne, who's currently in the United States after agreeing to become D.C. United 's new manager, has seen his son put pen to paper on a contract of his own, with the giant sportswear brand snapping him up.
On Kai's Instagram, a post to his 55,000 followers announcing the deal, which will see him don Puma boots and clothing, read: "Great to sign for @puma. Only see great." His 56-goal campaign for United came alongside teammate and Cristiano Ronaldo 's son, Cristiano Jr.
The pair of prodigies made headlines by scoring in the same game back in March, with Kai bagging four against rivals Liverpool last October. As well as frequently getting on the scoresheet, Rooney's eldest son - a fellow Everton supporter - has also turned provider on plenty of occasions, notching 28 assists for his teammates, having joined the Red Devils' prestigious academy in December 2020.
His blistering form for United coupled with mum Coleen 's concerns about living so far away from home are set to see dad Wayne - who recently quit Derby County - be alone while back in North America, having spent a difficult 18 months in the US Capital between the summer of 2018 and late 2019 when he still played. Along with Coleen and Kai, sons Cass, Klay and Kit are also expected to stay in the UK.
With the MLS season only running until October, however, Wayne should be able to see Kai in action during the autumn and winter months. Wayne - who's still both England and United's all-time top goalscorer - has high hopes son's career and declared when Kai signed for his former club: "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."
Speaking of making decisions, Rooney's choice to go back to Washington has bemused Mirror Football columnist Stan Collymore, who reckons his return is a mistake. Noting how the 35-year-old has previously expressed his desire to manage the Red Devils and his beloved Everton, ex-Liverpool striker Collymore wrote: "If that is still what he’s chasing then a move to D.C. won't even make a scratch on his CV.
"In fact, if he has two years in Washington he'll be no closer to getting the United or Everton jobs than he is right now. If it goes wrong for him, which is a possibility, then it will be a big black mark against him because, let's face it, even by MLS standards, D.C. is a bit of a backwater. I'd get it more if he was mulling over an offer from LA Galaxy, LA FC or New York City.
"Or if he was going to a club which had a big name or two in their ranks such as [Gareth] Bale at LA or, before that, Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Galaxy, or Rooney himself at DC. But there will be nothing at DC, no learning, that really takes him on, certainly not in the way that being at a top-10 Championship club would have done."
