Kai Rooney scores for Manchester United U18s in victory after callup from U16s mid-game

Manchester United Under-18s hosted Blackburn Rovers Under-18s on Saturday morning at Carrington. As has become expected, Michael Carrick was in attendance to watch United, including his son, Jacey Carrick, who featured for the Under-16s on the adjacent pitch. First half United were on top from the start but struggled to find an end product, with early chances for JJ Gabriel and Jim Thwaites missing the target. Louie Bradbury came closest to opening the scoring in the 24th minute when he struck the ball against the left post after Noah Ajayi stole the ball from Blackburn high up the pitch. A heavy touch from Thwaites in midfield gave Blackburn a rare opening, but Fred Heath and Albert Mills combined quickly to snuff out the chance. There was a scramble in the Blackburn area towards the end of the half that saw Gabriel, Godwill Kukonki, and Bradbury all have efforts blocked off the goal line, somehow keeping the match scoreless at the break. Second half Some sloppy play at the back from United caused a nervy start to the second half for Darren Fletcher’s side, but it was United who made the breakthrough in the 53rd minute. A quick break down the right wing with Junior Brown and Yuel Helafu ended with the ball centred to Gabriel, who spun his marker and was taken down for a penalty. Gabriel stepped up to the spot and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner for his 23rd goal of the season. Kai Rooney was introduced after the hour mark, having started the Under-16s match on the opposite pitch where he scored two goals and assisted twice. Brown initiated the move down the right wing before squaring to Rooney, who took the ball on the turn and fired low under the keeper from 20 yards out. Thwaites put the match to bed in the 71st minute with yet another free-kick goal. Situated to the left of the box, Thwaites snuck the ball inside the near post from a wide angle to make it 3-0. There could have been more goals for United as Rooney and Jariyah Shah rattled the woodwork, but the 3-0 scoreline was enough to earn the three points for United. Elsewhere in the league, Manchester City were held to a draw by Burnley, which allows United to go level with their city rivals at the top of the table. Match facts United: Heath; Helafu, Mills, Kukonki (c), J. Watson (McEvoy 63); McCormack; Brown, Thwaites, Gabriel (Shah 70), Ajayi (D. Nkoto 70); Bradbury (Rooney 63). Unused subs: Byrne-Hughes. Goals: Gabriel 54 pen, Rooney 65, Thwaites 71. Booked: McEvoy, Rooney Featured image James Fearn via Getty Images 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 Colm Murphy A football obsessed Canadian who moved to England to enjoy the beautiful game. Colm has been keen follower of Manchester United’s famed academy since seeing a fresh faced Adnan Januzaj for the club’s u18s and has been writing about football with a focus on youth development for over 10 years. You can follow him X: RedYouthUnited.