Kai Rooney, the eldest son of Manchester United's all-time top goalscorer Wayne Rooney, is clearly making an impression at youth level after the teenager was handed a last-minute call-up this week.
The 15-year-old, who followed in the footsteps of his dad in 2020 – when he signed a Premier League academy registration to be part of United's under-11 team – has progressed through the ranks with relative ease.
A year after joining, Kai notched 56 goals and 28 assists for United's academy during the 2021/22 campaign, which included a hat-trick against Liverpool and a wonderful left-footed strike in the Manchester derby.
The youngster has since established himself as a regular in either the No 9 position or out wide.
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And on Thursday, it emerged that Rooney has earned a surprise call-up to Manchester United's under-19 squad for one of Europe's top youth tournaments, the Mladen Ramljak Tournament in Croatia.
It means the teenager has been promoted three age groups and will take on players up to four years older than him, with teams such as Paris Saint-Germain, Bologna and Benfica taking part in the prestigious event.
United will begin their Mladen Ramljak campaign against Rapid Bucuresti on Thursday before facing Juventus and Dinamo Zagreb in the remaining two group games. The final will take place on Sunday, 10 August.
United's youth side reached the final of the Super Cup NI in Northern Ireland last week, with Kai impressing as his dad watched on.
Speaking to the BBC, former Everton striker Rooney said his son handles the pressure of having the name 'Rooney' on the back of his shirt "incredibly well".
"He has great coaches at Manchester United, so I take a stand-off approach," he added. "I speak to him, but for me it's all about his mentality and his mindset, to make sure he keeps enjoying it - that's the main thing for me."
Coleen Rooney is making sure her son Kai is "protected" from fame
Kai's mother, Coleen, is putting steps in place to ensure Kai has something to fall back on if his football career falls through.
A source close to Coleen told The Sun: “Kai is already being touted as one to watch and played a big part in Man United winning the under 15s league. He’s being tipped to become a first team player within the next couple of years.
“But Coleen is making sure that he doesn’t rely on it and has told him he has to do his GCSEs next year and still work hard at school as nobody knows what’s going to happen.
“She’s playing a big part in his career though and is making sure he’s well protected and isn’t thrust into the limelight like Wayne was at such a young age.”
Topics: Manchester United, Premier League, Wayne Rooney
Jack Kenmare