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Wayne Rooney's son Kai has recently been making waves in Manchester United's youth ranks, as he aims to emulate his father's illustrious career at Old Trafford. The 15-year-old earned a call-up to United's under-19s squad after impressing in the under-18s, where he scored a stunning volley that caught the eye of the senior teams.

Kai joined the United Academy in 2016 and has proven himself to be a formidable presence on the pitch. Before making two appearances in the U18 Premier League and scoring one goal in 35 minutes of play, he managed to net an impressive 56 goals in a single season. However, his rapid rise through the ranks will be temporarily halted due to a recent leg injury. The extent of the injury and how long it will keep him sidelined remains uncertain, but a recent social media post suggests he may be out of action for some time.

He shared a selfie showing a protective boot on his right foot, captioned "life can't get worse" accompanied by a crying emoji. While fans of the Rooney family will be disheartened by the news, Kai's parents are likely to provide strong support, with Wayne's own experience of dealing with injuries at the highest level proving invaluable.

Despite Wayne being a Premier League legend and the ideal role model for his son, it has emerged that he is actually banned from attending his child's matches. This restriction wasn't imposed by the club or any manager, but rather by Kai himself, as revealed by Coleen during her appearance on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! last year.

While in the jungle, the 39-year-old spoke about her son's challenging yet unselfish decision with her fellow campmates and how it was made to help his career in the long term. Coleen explained: "That's the thing with kids, I think; it's hard to go on days out.

"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 just said, 'Oh, dad there's no point you coming because you don't even watch me play anyway.' Which is sad, but it can't be helped anyway. At the same time, the fans help you along the way and get you where you are."

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However, it isn't just Wayne's attendance that impacts Kai whilst he is playing, as the 15-year-old frequently faces verbal abuse from opposing players about his dad. During an episode of the Stick to Football podcast, Coleen recalled an incident where Kai missed a penalty in a tournament - and blamed it on his father.

She said: "A few years ago, I remember my son Kai took a penalty at St George's Park, where we were for a tournament. It went to penalties, Kai stepped up and just skied it. Afterwards I asked him how he could take a penalty like that, and he told me he was just fuming as the goalkeeper was saying, 'Your dad's s***,' and he got dead angry.

"It doesn't happen to him very often, but it did then, and you can see in some games where they give you a little push. He's strong-minded though and usually shrugs it off."

While it's evident that being the child of such a Premier League giant could create immense pressure for a teenage prospect, Kai has demonstrated recently that he can cope with such expectations effortlessly. He'll undoubtedly be eager to recover from injury and continue along the trajectory he's established thus far.

United supporters will hope that if his father's accomplishments serve as any indication of future success, then they possess genuine talent within the Carrington academy ranks.