“He’s gone to the right”: United legend lifts lid on son’s big Man United switch

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has spoken about his son Kai Rooney’s development at the club’s academy. According to The Mirror, Rooney said his son has had to adapt his position to keep pace with the tactical demands of the modern game. Kai Rooney continues academy rise Kai, who turned 16-years-old in November, joined United’s academy at 11-years-old in 2020 after following the same pathway his father once took. The report states 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 forward at Everton before going on to become a major figure for club and country, but he suggested the route for young attackers has shifted. As per the report, Kai began his youth career as a centre-forward and impressed across multiple age groups as a number 9. Rooney highlights modern striker trend Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney suggested the pool of elite strikers has thinned because many academy players are attracted to other attacking roles. He said: “The standard of English players has increased massively, I just think it’s purely because they don’t want to play number nine. “The way the game is tactically. If you look worldwide there’s not many number nines. So it’s not just a problem in England, it’s a problem throughout the world in number nines.” The Mirror adds that Rooney referenced the growing appeal of wide forwards who cut inside from the flank. Rooney explains Kai position change Rooney said his son has now made that switch, moving to the right side despite being left-footed. “He’s gone to the right. Left-footed, coming in off the right,” Rooney added. Kai suffered an injury setback last year that left him a long road to climb to recover. 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 that marked his first appearance at Old Trafford. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Okari Wambunya Okari Wambunya is a football writer at The Peoples Person, covering Manchester United with fast, accurate, and source-led news, analysis, opinions, team developments, injuries, press conferences, and matchday reactions. A former secondary school teacher, he now coaches college football (not soccer) and continues to support young people through academic mentoring and youth work. He holds a BA (Hons) in English from Brunel University London and an MA in Education from King’s College London, with experience across digital journalism and broadcast sports media. Okari first praised Michael Carrick in a blog post he wrote at 16-years-old in 2014; over a decade later, United appointing Carrick as interim head coach feels like a full-circle moment.