Kai Rooney, the eldest son of Wayne Rooney, scored four goals in Manchester United's 6-0 victory over Burnley in the English U-18 league. The 16-year-old striker led the team managed by Darren Fletcher to the win.
Rooney scored the first goal in the 22nd minute, using his left foot to finish off a rebound. His teammate Jaume Camacho had previously hit the crossbar. Early in the second half, Rooney won and converted a penalty, and in the 63rd minute he completed his hat-trick with a header from a corner. Three minutes later, he capitalised on a Burnley defensive error to score his fourth goal with his right foot. United added two more goals before the end of the match.
Rooney has five goals and one assist in three appearances this season. Manchester United's U-18 team is in second place in the league with six wins from eight games.
Kai was born on 2 November 2009. He joined the Manchester United academy in December 2020, aged 11. In the 2021/22 season, he scored 56 goals and provided 28 assists for United's U-12 team. In May 2025, United's U-15 side won the Premier League Cup by beating Chelsea, with Rooney scoring two goals and assisting the third in the final. In August of the same year, he played against Dinamo at the Mladen Ramljak Memorial Tournament in Zagreb; the match ended 2-2, and Rooney scored a goal for United in the final attack which was disallowed for offside. Dinamo qualified for the final with the draw.
Rooney signed a scholarship contract with Manchester United this summer as one of 15 players in the new generation of the club's academy. This is not yet a professional contract. On 2 November, he will turn 17 and become eligible to sign his first professional contract in England.
In recent years, he has increasingly been used on the right wing. Kai is a left-footer, whereas Wayne Rooney was a right-footer. Wayne Rooney spoke about the change in his podcast: "He has moved to the right side. He is a left-footer and cuts inside from the right." He added that he did not entirely agree with the decision and that Kai would be better centrally. Kai cited Gabriel Martinelli as one of his role models and explained that he likes to attack the space behind the opposition defence.
In mid-October, he made his debut for United's U-19 team in the UEFA Youth League against Atlético Madrid, coming on in the 66th minute; Atlético won 3-0. Three days later, he earned his first minutes for United's U-21 team in a 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League 2, coming on late in the game and playing 13 minutes. Kai has not yet made a senior appearance.
Wayne Rooney made his Premier League debut for Everton on 17 August 2002, aged 16, and on 19 October he scored a goal to beat Arsenal, who had been unbeaten in the league, at the age of 16 years and 360 days. In an interview with the BBC, he said his son loves football and works hard to achieve his dream. "He understands the game very well and thinks a lot about it," Wayne Rooney stated. Kai wants to become a professional footballer and works independently on his own development.
