Kai Rooney and JJ Gabriel have impressed Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe by scoring in extra time to secure a spot in the Premier League Cup final for the under-18 side. Ratcliffe was present at Carrington to watch the match, which ended with a victory over West Ham.
Rooney, who has been with the United academy since age 11, came off the bench to net the decisive goal. Gabriel also found the net during extra time. Ratcliffe, who recently completed a minority takeover, has taken a keen interest in the club's youth development.
The young Rooney's performance follows a strong showing last week when he provided an assist in a 6-1 win against Derby County, a match attended by his father, Wayne Rooney. Wayne had previously been asked by his son to stop attending games due to the crowds he attracted, but he was present for that fixture.
Wayne Rooney has spoken about the added pressure on academy players, noting that when Cristiano Ronaldo's son was in the same team, crowds swelled significantly. He said: 'There's a bit more pressure on them... all of a sudden there's like 10 times the amount of people that's normally there.'
