Wayne and Coleen Rooney have spoken publicly for the first time about the moment their youngest son, Cass, was released by Everton's academy. The couple discussed the emotional impact on their eight-year-old son during an appearance on the Therapy Crouch podcast with Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy.
Cass's release from Everton
Coleen, who has four sons with Wayne – Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass – explained that Cass had been at Everton since the Under-7s and was a passionate Everton supporter with a season ticket. She described the news as "the hardest thing" because the older boys had remained at Manchester United, while Cass was at Everton.
"We knew, because it was a big squad, and obviously, then going into the Under-9s, you get signed then. We knew he wasn't going to stay because he wasn't one of the stronger ones there and the day came when we got the phone call," Coleen said.
She recounted telling Cass the news at home: "I was like, 'Cass, I've had a call and you're not going to be going into the next [year at Everton]' and he threw his head into his hands and he just burst out crying. But an hour later? He forgot about it. He was fine. He still plays for his grassroots team and he was on the phone straight away to my mum and dad saying, 'Everton have released me.'"
Wayne's advice to his son
Wayne, who is regarded as one of Everton's and United's greatest-ever players, said he tried to put the rejection into perspective. "If you think about, anything really, even in school, you have people in higher sets, that's part of life isn't it?" he said.
He added: "In football, the amount of players we've played with (gestures to Crouch) who maybe don't make it at Man United, Everton or Liverpool, but then they go and play [Elsewhere], so there's opportunity to have a career. And you forget, they're so young. I said to him, 'I didn't join Everton's academy until I was nine, so actually you've got loads of time. Enjoy playing football and if it comes, it comes.'"
Kai's scholarship at Manchester United
The couple's eldest son, Kai, 16, is currently playing for Manchester United's Under-18s and was offered a scholarship this summer. Klay, 13, is also on the books at Old Trafford.
In the Disney+ show The Real Rooneys, Wayne said of Kai: "Kai wants his own legacy, and I'll be there to support him. What I don't want is him to get a scholarship or get a contract because of me. I want it to be because of him in his own right. It's something he's wanted for a long time, so [I'll] be proud, really proud of him to get a scholarship."
