PROUD parents Wayne and Coleen Rooney watched on as their son Kai booked his place in the last-16 of the FA Youth Cup on his Old Trafford debut.
Kai, who joined United five years ago, looked full of confidence in his extra-time cameo – despite playing two years above his age group.
The fans who attended serenaded him with the familiar, “Rooney, Rooney” chant that used to sing out at the Theatre of Dreams years ago.
Wayne and Coleen were forced to wait until extra-time for Under-18 head coach Darren Fletcher to introduce Kai from the bench.
The couple watched on as their eldest son helped create United’s breakthrough goal seconds after coming on for Godwill Kukonki.
Kai caused panic in the Derby backline as he skilfully drove into the box.
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His pass was bundled out to Albert Mills who fed James Overy to whizz a teasing ball across goal – which was inadvertently turned into his own net by Derby’s Luca Crolla.
Under-21 striker Chido Obi then looked to have sealed a last-16 spot after punishing another Derby mistake with a brilliant finish.
But Derby clawed one back in the second-half of extra-time through sub Max Nessling’s slick low finish after United keeper Cameron Byrne-Hughes came rushing out.
Fletcher’s front-three of Chido Obi, Bendito Mantato and JJ Gabriel enjoyed an electric first-half, having 12 shots kept out by an inspiring Dzialuk.
James Bailey, Gabriel, Mantato were all denied winners by brilliant Derby keeper Cristiano Dzialuk, before Kukonki nodded over from point-blank range to send the tie to extra-time.
That was when Rooney entered to make his mark.
Dad Wayne, 40, had been mobbed by fans outside Old Trafford as his attempts to go incognito unsurprisingly failed before the game.
The United legend wore a baseball cap and hood but was still stopped for selfies by adoring fans as he arrived an hour before kick-off.
The former England captain has deliberately stayed away from most of Kai’s football matches in a bid to avoid becoming a distraction.
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.’”
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.
Wayne was sat next to current interim head coach Michael Carrick, temporary assistant Steve Holland and first team coach Jonny Evans in United’s new hospitality seats inside the ground.
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.
United’s director of recruitment Christopher Vivell and academy director Stephen Torpey were also watching on.
United will now travel to Oxford for the last-16 clash of the competition the club won four years ago.
Wayne joined Derby as a player-coach in January 2020 before becoming permanent manager in January 2021, retiring from playing to focus on leading the club.
He made 35 appearances, scoring six goals, and later managed the team through significant financial distress and points deductions, ultimately leaving in June 2022 after relegation.
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