Wayne Rooney watches on as son Kai and JJ Gabriel play big roles in Man United U18s win

Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney has previously not been allowed to watch son Kai in action for the Reds, but it appears that his ban has been relaxed

Wayne Rooney was allowed to watch son Kai in action again – but he saw the limelight stolen by one of his Manchester United team-mates against Derby County. Rooney junior has become a regular fixture for the Red’ under-18 side this season as he attempts to follow in his dad’s glittering footsteps.

However, it was Noah Ajayi who stole the show at Carrington, as he scored twice and also claimed an assist in his side’s 6-1 victory against the Rams. Louie Bradbury and JJ Gabriel also bagged braces as Rooney came on as a 70th-minute substitute with his side leading 4-1.

Rooney Snr was spotted watching the game in the crowd, alongside former teammate John O’Shea, while Darren Fletcher’s side were also watched by Michael Carrick and his coaching staff.

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Speaking back in 2024, wife Coleen revealed Kai had told his famous father to stay away from his games due to the attention it would create.

“That’s the thing with kids I think, it’s hard to go on days out,” she said. “Kai told Wayne to stop coming to football games, when he played grassroots tournaments and stuff because he used to get swarmed and he couldn’t even watch the game.

“How do you say to all of these kids, ‘Go away, I’m watching my son?’ Adults, it’s different, you could speak to them. So he (Kai) just said, ‘Oh, dad there’s no point you coming because you don’t even watch me play anyway.’

“Which is sad, but it can’t be helped anyway. At the same time, the fans help you along the way and get you where you are.”

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Rooney has previously offered his take on the current crop of young players at Old Trafford and claimed that more pressure was heaped upon them following the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, which saw his son play for the team.

He said: “There’s a bit more pressure on them as well. Kai and [when Cristiano] Ronaldo came back, Ronaldo’s lads and Michael Carrick’s lad were all on the same team.

“You go and watch and then all of a sudden there’s like 10 times the amount of people that’s normally there, all around the pitch watching, so there’s a lot more pressure because they’re coming to watch the three kids to see how they play and stuff. They’ve got to be ready.”

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