Kai Rooney scored four goals as Manchester United's Under-16s secured a 6-4 victory over Norwich City in the Premier League Cup semi-final. The 16-year-old, son of United legend Wayne Rooney, produced another standout display to help the young Reds book their place in the final.
After the match, Kai took to Instagram to share a picture with the match ball, holding up four fingers to indicate his goal tally. He also re-shared a post from Rising Ballers, which said: “Kai Rooney is different… Scored 4 goals today for United in the PL Cup semi-final against Norwich… Been on fire recently… It won't be long until you see him in and around the first team… Goalscoring DNA runs in the family.”
Kai, who wears the iconic No.7 shirt, has previously spoken about handling pressure, saying: “I'm my own person. I want to see how my career goes, obviously try to do the best I can and try to reach the biggest stages. I'm just focusing on me and to try to not let any pressure get to me and just keep working on me day by day, month by month.”
The winger's performance came just days after reports from The Sun and The Mail suggested he had been offered a new £50,000-per-year scholarship deal by the club. However, Kai appeared to dismiss the claims on Instagram, writing: “Don't listen to Mail,” followed by three laughing emojis.
Kai made his debut at Old Trafford last month against Derby County's U18s, with interim head coach Michael Carrick in attendance. Carrick said of his decision to watch: “My message of support is that I'm coming along to watch and I'm excited. I was lucky enough to play and win the FA Youth Cup when I was young at West Ham. It's such an important competition, especially for this club. Young players, Old Trafford under the floodlights, feeling what it means, a bit of expectation.”
