KAI ROONEY – son of Manchester United legend Wayne – is set to get his first taste of football at Old Trafford next month.
The youngster is a member of United’s U18 side, who will be facing Peterborough United in the third round of the FA Youth Cup on December 9th.
It will be a special opportunity for the youth group, who missed out on the chance to play at the venue last season in the competition due to Ineos’ cost-cutting measures, per The Mail.
But it seems United can now do without the £8,000 that was saved by hosting the fixture at Leigh Sports Village, thanks in part to the club’s more open fixture list after failing to qualify for European football this season.
The 15-year-old forward seems likely to get the chance to walk out at the Theatre of Dreams in December as he nears the end of his recovery from a foot injury that has sidelined him for most of the season.
He made just two appearances this campaign before suffering the injury at the beginning of September.
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He has hinted that he is close to the end of his recovery and has returned to the grass, but now it is a race against time to be ready for the approaching fixture.
Alongside him will be fellow English wonderkid JJ Gabriel, dubbed by fans as “Kid Messi.”
The highly rated attacker, 15, has drawn admiration for his silky skills, and was even invited to train with the first team last month by manager Ruben Amorim.
Gabriel has scored seven and assisted once in his nine games for the U18s this season, despite only turning 15 last month.
There is buzz around the prospect potentially following in the footsteps of Arsenal’s Max Dowman and making history by making his debut for the Red Devils before his 16th birthday.
So if anyone will enjoy the chance to start getting used to the Old Trafford environment, it would be him.
The youth side, managed by former United hero Darren Fletcher, rocketed out of the gates this season by winning their opening five fixtures of the U18 Premier League.
But the side have hit a wall in recent weeks, losing three and drawing two of their next five fixtures to slip down the table into fourth.
But the cup fixture could offer the chance of a reset – the side reached the semi-final of the competition last season before being knocked out by Aston Villa on penalties.
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