Kai Rooney has been progressing through the ranks at Manchester United, and the 16-year-old has already scored his first goals for the club's Under-18s. His form has brought plenty of headlines, though his parents, Wayne and Coleen, have done their best to keep all of their children grounded.
Dad's match ban
As the oldest of the Rooneys' four children, Kai became the first to develop serious footballing aspirations. However, the family name can also carry attention which he hasn't necessarily asked for. As the young forward got his start in grassroots football, his old man naturally looked to cheer him on from the sidelines. Ultimately, though, he had to make the tough decision to prevent the United and England icon from attending.
"That's the thing with kids I think, it's hard to go on days out," the youngster's mother Coleen said on I'm A Celebrity... in 2024. "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."
That ban now appears to be a thing of the past, however. Wayne has been spotted cheering on Kai on numerous occasions, including on his Old Trafford debut last season.
Sibling's heartbreaking setback
While Kai has been making a name for himself, younger brother Cass has had a more challenging path. Cass had been part of Everton's academy setup before being let go following his time with the Under-7s.
"I phoned [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," Coleen told The Therapy Crouch podcast. "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 kept things in perspective when reflecting on the release: "You forget, they're so young," he said. "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.'"
Wayne's advice for Kai
In the trailer for The Real Rooneys, Wayne stressed how footballers are always discovering new things even as they enter the twilight of their careers. "I was still learning up until the last game I ever played," he told Kai.
He's been pleased with how the teenager has coped so far. Yet Kai has also been urged to focus on his academic work while progressing through United's academy.
"I think it's very unfair for anyone to expect him to go and do all kinds," the former England forward said. "He's just playing, he's a 15-year-old boy playing his football, enjoying it. Of course he gets different attention to a lot of his team-mates but I think he handles that really well."
Contract rule
Kai Rooney isn't the first youngster in football whose surname will go before him and he won't be the last. Nevertheless, Wayne is determined for people to assess his son purely on his talent and achievements on the pitch.
"Kai wants his own legacy, and I'll be there to support him.," he said on The Real Rooneys. "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."
Kai did indeed secure the scholarship, as did Michael Carrick's son Jacey. Both youngsters will become eligible to put pen to paper on professional terms once they turn 17 - for Rooney's eldest, that milestone is mere weeks away.
