Wayne Rooney’s lookalike son Kai, 16, shows he’s following in his dad’s footsteps as he takes a break from Manchester United’s under-18s for family holiday to Barbados

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Kai Rooney, who bears a strong resemblance to his father Wayne, is enjoying a family vacation in Barbados after a break from training with Manchester United’s under-18 team, hinting at a promising football future like his dad’s.

The 16-year-old was added to the team’s roster earlier this season, but an injury kept him out of play for several months. He was only 15 years old when initially called up.

Kai showed he’s fully recovered from his injury by racing Jonny Evans, a former teammate of Wayne’s, while they were on vacation in the Caribbean.

A boy ran along the beach wearing blue swim trunks, playfully trying to get away from a 37-year-old ex-football player who was chasing him.

Kai is celebrating the New Year with his family, including his parents, Wayne and Coleen, his brothers Klay (11), Kit (8), and Cass (6), and his aunt and grandparents, Colette and Tony.

Retired players and some of Wayne’s old teammates—including Jonny, Michael Carrick, and Darren Gibson—also participated.

Kai recently scored his first goal for Manchester United, marking a triumphant return from injury. He had been sidelined and was even using crutches with a protective boot on his right foot.

He posted a picture on Instagram in September showing his difficult situation, with the caption ‘Life can’t get worse’.

After a few months, he posted a photo of himself practicing with Manchester United, sporting his boots. He added two hourglass emojis to suggest he’s almost fully recovered and ready to play.

Unfortunately, that didn’t work out as planned, and he wasn’t able to play again until mid-December.

At just 15 years old, he unexpectedly made it onto the club’s Under-18 team earlier this season, but his development was unfortunately stopped.

He scored his first goal for the Under-18 team just weeks after joining, hitting a powerful left-footed volley into the top corner against Middlesbrough.

Kai entered United’s youth program in 2020 when he was 11 years old and has consistently improved as he’s progressed through the different age groups.

People often compare his playing style to his father’s, and Manchester United staff have been impressed with how calm he is, how well he moves without the ball, and his ability to score goals.

Kai quickly made an impact after joining United’s youth academy, recording an impressive 28 assists in his first full season with the under-12s – where he played with Cristiano Ronaldo’s son – and has continued to improve ever since.

If Kai keeps developing his skills, he’s likely to play at Old Trafford someday, following in his father’s footsteps who played there from 2004 to 2017.

Earlier this year, when discussing how he guides his oldest son, Wayne stated he generally prefers to let him make his own decisions without much intervention.

He’s always just focused on playing the game, and it’s a lot to ask of anyone at 15 years old. Still, he seems to deal with the expectations that come with his family name remarkably well.

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2026-01-02 12:33