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Topics: Manchester United, Football, Wayne Rooney, Premier League, Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick
Ryan Smart
Topics: Manchester United, Football, Wayne Rooney, Premier League, Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick
Kai Rooney, the eldest son of Manchester United legend Wayne, has been offered a professional contract at Old Trafford.
Kai joined United at the age of 11, having spent four years at Manchester City's academy.
He has seamlessly risen up through the youth ranks, and scored 56 goals alongside 28 assists for the U12 side during the 2021/22 season.
Last month, the now 16-year-old made his debut at Old Trafford, coming off the bench for United's U18 side during an FA Youth Cup match against Derby County.
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Speaking on his podcast, 'The Wayne Rooney Show', Wayne said that Kai's first reaction to making his debut was to exclaim that 'the pitch was massive'.
Now, he could have the opportunity to play on the hallowed turf much more often, having been offered his first professional contract with the club.
That's according to The Sun, who report that 14 players, including Kai and Michael Carrick's son Jacey, have been offered a one-year scholarship deal by the 20-time league champions.
It is added that, once the players turn 17, they would transition into a three-year professional contract worth £50,000 per year.
The report claims that Kai and his family are yet to decide whether to accept the offer.
Should he sign, the scholarship deal would allow the 16-year-old to continue his education while still training and representing the club's youth sides.
He could also theoretically represent the senior side, though that prospect would appear highly unlikely over the length of the scholarship deal as he finds his feet in the U18s instead.
He is currently playing for the U18 side - where he has scored twice this season - under head coach Darren Fletcher, and also the U16 side.
In August, Fletcher told United's official website that he had been showing his youngsters footage of matches under Sir Alex Ferguson - including goals scored by Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
"It's something we've spoken about, recognising what the opposition are trying to do and using the tools we have to exploit it," the Scot said.
"The fast attacks, it's proper United. I've been showing them old clips of Rooney, Ronaldo and Ji-Sung Park, the counter-attack goals, and [Ryan] Giggs and [Andrei] Kanchelskis too, trying to show a bit of that Man United DNA."
Kai is not the only Rooney family member that is part of United's academy, with 12-year-old Klay also representing the club at junior levels.
Eight-year-old Cass, Wayne and Coleen's youngest son, plays for his father's boyhood club Everton.