Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney had previously been restricted from attending matches involving his son Kai, but those limitations now appear to have been eased.
Rooney was able to watch Kai play again, although it was one of his Manchester United teammates who grabbed the headlines against Derby County. Rooney Jr has become a regular member of the club’s under-18 squad this season as he looks to carve out his own path in football.
It was Noah Ajayi who stole the spotlight at Carrington, scoring twice and providing an assist in a 6-1 win over the Rams. Louie Bradbury and JJ Gabriel also netted two goals each, while Kai Rooney entered the match as a substitute in the 70th minute with the score already at 4-1.
Rooney Sr was seen in the stands alongside former teammate John O'Shea, while the game was also observed by Michael Carrick and his coaching staff, as well as the under-18s boss Darren Fletcher.
Back in 2024, Rooney’s wife Coleen Rooney explained that Kai had once asked his father not to attend his matches because of the attention it attracted.
“That’s the difficult thing with children, going out can be hard,” she said. “Kai asked Wayne to stop coming to his football games when he was playing grassroots tournaments because he would get surrounded and couldn’t even watch properly.
“How do you tell all these kids, ‘Please go away, I’m trying to watch my son?’ With adults it’s easier, you can speak to them. So Kai just said, ‘Dad, there’s no point in you coming because you don’t even get to watch me play anyway.’
“It’s sad, but it’s unavoidable. At the same time, the fans also help you along the journey and support you in getting where you want to be.”
Rooney has also previously spoken about the pressure facing young players at Old Trafford, suggesting it increased when Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the club while his son was part of the youth setup.
He said: “There’s definitely more pressure on them. When Cristiano came back, his boys, Kai, and Michael Carrick’s son were all in the same team.
“You go to watch and suddenly there are ten times more people than usual standing around the pitch. That creates extra pressure because they’re coming specifically to see those three kids and how they perform. They have to be prepared for that.”
