2
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has spoken about his son Kai Rooney’s development at the club’s academy.
According to The mirrorRooney said his son has had to adapt his positioning to keep up with the tactical demands of the modern game.
Kai Rooney continues his rise at the academy
Kai, who turned 16 in November, joined United’s academy in 2020 at the age of 11 after following the same path his father once followed.
According to the report, the youngster has already been called up to the Under-18s despite still being younger than many players in that age group.
Rooney famously emerged as a teenage striker at Everton before going on to become an important figure for club and country, but he suggested the route for young strikers has changed.
According to the report, Kai started his youth career as a centre-forward and impressed across multiple age groups as a number 9.
Rooney emphasizes the modern striker trend
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney suggested that the pool of elite strikers has been thinned out as many academy players gravitate towards other attacking roles.
He said: “The level of English players has gone up enormously, I just think it’s purely because they don’t want to play at number nine. “The way the game is tactical. If you look globally, there aren’t many number nines. So it’s not just a problem in England, it’s a problem all over the world in the number nine.”
The Mirror adds that Rooney was referring to the growing appeal of wide attackers cutting inside from the flank.
Rooney explains Kai’s position change
Rooney said his son has now made that switch and moved to the right side, despite being left-footed.
“He’s gone to the right. Left-footed and coming from the right,” Rooney added.
Kai suffered an injury setback last year that left him with a long road to recovery.
Since returning to fitness, the teenager has started to build momentum again and has featured for Darren Fletcher’s Under-18s in the FA Youth Cup.
He also came off the bench during United’s 2–1 win over Derby County in the fourth round, a match which marked his first appearance at Old Trafford.
The Peoples Person has been one of Man United’s most important news sites for over ten years. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
#Wayne #Rooneys #Kai #bomb #United #Man #United #news #transfer #news #Peoples #Person