Kai Rooney has ditched golden rule with dad Wayne as Man Utd prepare for Youth Cup final

Kai Rooney won't feature for Manchester United's Under-18s in the FA Youth Cup final . But the son of club legend Wayne has impressed this season having ditched the rule that prevented his dad from watching him play. The academies of United and rivals Manchester City will go head-to-head at the Joie Stadium on Thursday evening in the final of the FA Youth Cup. Having played a minor role in helping his side reach the showpiece, a thigh injury suffered in March will cruelly keep Kai sidelined. He had been embarking on a breakout campaign for the Under-18s, being given valuable minutes aged just 16. Kai was pivotal to the club's Under-16s winning the Premier League Shield earlier this term, too. While he won't make the Youth Cup final, his promise is undeniable, and father Wayne can now peacefully watch his son in action as a ban on him attending his games appears to have been eased. FOLLOW OUR MAN UTD FB PAGE! Latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page Kai has been part of United's academy from the age of 11 and having such a famous surname around Carrington started as more of a curse than a blessing. Wayne began by turning up to support his son, but his wife Coleen revealed in 2024 that Kai had asked him to stop, as the United hero was constantly mobbed. "That's the thing with kids I think, it's hard to go on days out," she said. "Kai told Wayne to stop coming to football games when he played grassroots tournaments and stuff because he used to get swarmed, and he couldn't even watch the game. "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 (Kai) just said, 'Oh, Dad, there's no point in you coming because you don't even watch me play anyway.' Which is sad, but it can't be helped anyway." But Kai appears to have loosened this stance as he's grown older and circumstances around him have changed. In February, he got some minutes for the Under-18s in a 6-1 win over Derby County and dad Wayne was amongst the spectators . Just a month later, Wayne was spotted in the stands as Kai rode the bench in the Under-18s' Youth Cup quarter-final win against Sunderland . The 16-year-old made his first appearance at Old Trafford earlier in the year too and both of his parents watched on from a crowd that included current interim first-team manager Michael Carrick and assistant Steve Holland. When Kai helped the Under-16s win the Premier League Shield against Burnley in March, his mum and dad were there and they even uploaded a congratulatory photo of the family to Instagram . The young forward will be able to sign his first professional contract when he turns 17 and finishes school. Two months ago, he signed a deal with agency Triple S Sports Management, which had looked after his father throughout his illustrious career.