Wayne and Coleen Rooney have revealed that their youngest son, Cass, was left in tears after being released by Premier League club Everton. The couple discussed the emotional moment on the Therapy Crouch podcast with former England striker Peter Crouch and his wife, Abbey Clancy.
Family heartbreak over Cass's release
The Rooneys have four sons: Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass. Their eldest, Kai, 16, is thriving for Manchester United's under-18s after being awarded a scholarship and played at Old Trafford for the first time in the FA Youth Cup against Derby County earlier this year. Klay, 13, another bright prospect, is also on United's books.
However, eight-year-old Cass suffered heartbreak after being let go by Everton. Coleen said: "The youngest one, he got let go. That was the hardest thing. The older two had been there and stayed there at United, Cass was at Everton."
She added: "It was only under-sevens, and he is a massive Evertonian, so he's got a season ticket, and he loves Everton. So, the fact that he was there was everything to him."
Emotional moment revealed
Coleen explained that the family knew Cass was unlikely to stay because he was not one of the stronger players in a big squad. She described the day they received the phone call.
"I phoned him [Wayne] and I was like, 'You're going to have to tell him,' and then I had a moment before he [Wayne] came in and he [Cass] was on his own in the house," she said.
"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."
Coleen noted that an hour later, Cass had forgotten about it and 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,'" she added.
Rooney's perspective on rejection
When asked how the couple coped with their son's rejection, Wayne said: "If you think about, anything really, even in school, you have people in higher sets, that's part of life isn't it?"
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."
Wayne also reminded Cass of his own journey: "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.'"
Despite his legendary status at United, Wayne wants his sons to carve out their own journeys in the sport. He said: "Kai wants his own legacy, and I'll be there to support him. 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."
Wayne and Coleen have recently opened up their family home in the new Disney+ series, The Real Rooneys.
