Manchester United Under-18s continued their flawless start to the year on Wednesday afternoon with a thumping victory over Derby County U18s.
The young Red Devils thrashed their counterparts 6-1 at their Carrington training complex – with some famous onlookers cheering them on.
Wayne Rooney was pictured in the stands – alongside former Old Trafford team-mate John O’Shea – watching his son Kai play.
The 16-year-old came on as a 70th-minute substitute with his side leading 4-1.
Three minutes later, they extended their lead when precocious talent JJ Gabriel grabbed his second of the afternoon.
The youngster is tipped for the very top, with Daily Mail Sport’s Oliver Holt describing him last week as the best young English talent he’s seen since Rooney himself. And Gabriel showed exactly why against Derby, as he dribbled menacingly at the defence before smashing home from outside the box.
Wayne Rooney was in attendance to watch son Kai play for Man United’s U18s on Wednesday
Gabriel is in a rich vein of form at the moment having scored six goals in his last four games.
The 15-year-old scored his first on 41 minutes from the penalty spot to see United restore their lead after Louie Bradbury’s opener was cancelled out by Sean Corry.
It was a theme of braces for the United scorers with Noah Ajayi making it 3-1 just before half-time.
After the interval Bradbury completed his brace in the 67th minute before Gabriel and Ajayi, the latter on 81 minutes, followed suit.
It was a wonderful solo effort from Ajayi and the young Rooney was the man to provide the assist with a clever flick to his team-mate in midfield.
Earlier this month, Kai put in yet another strong performance as United’s U16s beat the Canaries’ youth side 6-4 in the Premier League Cup semi-final on Saturday.
Posing with the match ball after the game, Kai shared an image of himself to his 400,000 Instagram followers.
‘PL cup semi final. 6-4 win vs Norwich. Four (football emoji),’ he wrote.
Kai (left) started as a substitute in their 6-1 win over Derby County – with JJ Gabriel scoring two
He later shared an image of his No 7 shirt on the dressing room floor after the game.
That performance came two days after The Sun reported that Kai was offered a new £50,000-per-year scholarship deal by the club, alongside a ‘very strong’ group of 13 other youngsters.
In January, under the Old Trafford lights, it was finally Kai’s night following a run of injury struggles. The Rooney shirt hanging up in the home dressing room was his as was the name on the official FA Youth Cup team-sheet.
Wayne and mum Coleen played cheerleaders from the sidelines, where Michael Carrick also watched on.
His performances for both the U16s and U18s have impressed and no doubt the youngster will continue to push for involvement.
The latest victory sees United extend their winning streak to eight games in all competitions.
They’ll look to make that nine in a row next Wednesday when they face West Ham U18s in the Premier League Cup.
