WAYNE ROONEY has returned to Old Trafford after his son Kai was named in Darren Fletcher’s squad for Man United’s FA Youth Cup clash against Derby.
The 16-year-old has been turning out for the club’s Under-18s side after returning from an injury that derailed the start of the season.
Dad Wayne, 40, stopped to take pictures with fans outside the stadium an hour before United’s fourth round clash on Friday night.
United’s all-time leading goalscorer was spotted by a small group of supporters despite his attempts to conceal his identity in a baseball cup and hooded jacket.
The former United and England captain has deliberately stayed away from most of Kai’s football matches in a bid to avoid becoming a distraction.
Striker Kai was named on the bench and could make his Old Trafford debut after missing the third-round match through injury.
Wife and mum Coleen disclosed during her stint on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here in 2024, how Wayne was prohibited from watching their eldest son early in his footballing journey.
She said: “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 just said: ‘Oh, dad there’s no point you coming because you don’t even watch me play anyway.’”
Chido Obi, Bendito Mantato and JJ Gabriel were named in the front-three, with Godwill Kukonki and Daniel Armer starting in defence.
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Kai, who has scored once in his two brief U18 Premier League appearances as a substitute, posted online this morning to suggest he will be in Fletcher’s squad for the game.
Fletcher, 41, returned to managing the U18s after a two-match interim period in charge of the senior team earlier this month following Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
Current interim head coach Michael Carrick, temporary assistant Steve Holland and first team coach Jonny Evans also made the trip to M16.
Carrick and Holland were joined by their backroom staff and club director of football Jason Wilcox at United’s Under-21s game at Leigh Sports Village on Tuesday night.
Whilst U18s games typically take place in either Leigh or Carrington, major fixtures like FA Youth Cup ties get shifted to Old Trafford.
A win tonight will see United travel to Oxford for the last-16 clash of the competition the club won four years ago.
