Wayne Rooney publicly celebrated his eldest son Kai after the teenager made his first appearance at Old Trafford for Manchester United’s Under-18s. The cup tie ended 2–1 as United progressed to the quarterfinals.

United opened the scoring via an own goal before Chido Obi, one of the “entitled” youngsters who inspired such ire from Ruben Amorim, doubled the lead. A late consolation from the visitors ensured a tense finale, but the home side held on. The match drew 2,223 in attendance, including Wayne Rooney, his wife Coleen and Manchester United’s senior head coach Michael Carrick.

Kai came off the bench in what was his third outing for the U18s. Fletcher, Rooney’s former teammate who remains a close family friend, handed him his debut at this level back in August when he was only 15. On the younger Rooney’s second outing for United ’s U18s he scored the last goal in a 5–0 rout of Middlesbrough.

The appearance was notable because it followed a difficult period. Kai suffered a serious injury that left his right foot in a protective boot and required crutches. Friday’s cup clash marked his first match since a gruelling five-month layoff.

After the game Rooney Sr posted two images on X, juxtaposing Kai in the current U18 fixture with a photo from almost a decade earlier when he walked out on the Old Trafford turf during his own playing days. “Then and now,” he wrote. “Proud of you Kai.”

Rooney has been careful about expectations. “He has great coaches at Manchester United, so I take a stand-off approach,” Rooney Sr told BBC News NI back in July. “I speak to him, but for me it’s all about his mentality and his mindset, to make sure he keeps enjoying it—that’s the main thing for me.”

The elder Rooney’s limited public guidance has mostly concerned preparation away from the direct oversight of United’s staff, leaving day-to-day development to the club’s coaching structure while offering support at home.

Darren Fletcher has moved to protect Manchester United’s academy after remarks from Ruben Amorim left the club’s youth pathway under scrutiny. Fletcher, serving as caretaker manager, emphasised the academy’s long record while preparing his squad for Sunday’s FA Cup third round tie with Brighton & Hove Albion.

Mainoo has played just 228 minutes of Premier League football this season—he was starting for England in the Euro 2024 final 18 months ago—and Amorim was at risk of becoming the first United manager since 1937 not to name an academy product in a matchday squad when he picked up an injury in November. The record was preserved when Amorim selected Jack Fletcher, Darren’s son, to be on the bench—though he was criticised for many considered to be a “token gesture” selection.

“We are not going to stop with academy players. It doesn’t matter about the result. We will continue with these small details which are the foundations of our club,” Amorim said after that game about United’s youngsters. His subsequent comments painted a very different picture.

Fletcher, who took charge of the 2–2 draw with Burnley on Wednesday, has assumed responsibilities that include dealing with the media, something Amorim was loathe to do. He used his first full briefing to distance himself from a narrow narrative and to underline the club’s history of producing talent.

“I just think historically, and this club’s built around the academy, we’ve got an amazing academy,” Fletcher told reporters. “Our record speaks for itself. I’m not going to sit and stand here and say anything other than that. We’ve got an amazing record. I think it’s hard to beat in terms of the history of clubs around the world. I think we’ve got some amazing players, some amazing talents.

“I think what I see is a lot of hard-working, humble young players who aren’t perfect because they’re young and they’re learning and they’ve got a lot to do.”

Fletcher also addressed availability issues around Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui, both at the Africa Cup of Nations, and the situation around Harry Maguire’s return. “I don’t think so. I think it’s too close a turnaround, so we’ll have the same players available for the game as we had against Burnley,” he said of the AFCON duo. On Maguire he added: “He has been out for a while, so it’d probably be looking at his load and things like that. That decision’s not been made, but I think you’ve seen the players coming back the other night.

“You’ve seen Mason, you’ve seen Kobbie, you’ve seen Bruno. There has to be some understanding of their first minutes. They might have to be careful a little bit with that process to build back in. So I think Harry will probably be in that situation for the weekend.”

Wrexham have announced a new minority investment from Apollo Sports Capital (ASC) as the club continues its long-term objective of reaching the Premier League. BBC report the stake is thought to be less than 10%, leaving Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney as the majority shareholders and controlling owners of the oldest club in Wales. The two Hollywood stars purchased Wrexham back in 2020 and have led the once forgotten side from the National League to the Championship.

“From day one, we wanted to build a sustainable future for Wrexham Association Football Club. And to do it with a little heart and humour,” Reynolds and McElhenney said in a joint-statement.

“The dream has always been to take this club to the Premier League while staying true to the town. Growth like that takes world-class partners who share our vision and ambition, and Apollo absolutely does. We have known Al Tylis, the CEO of Apollo Sports Capital, for many years and are thrilled to now have ASC join the Wrexham family as we take the next step forward together.”

Al Tylis, Reynolds and McElhenney also hold minority stakes in Liga MX side Necaxa and Colombian side La Equidad. The broader investor group includes Eva Longoria, two-time World Series champion Justin Verlander and his wife, Kate Upton.

On the field, Wrexham are in their first Championship campaign in 43 years and currently sit 12th in the standings through 19 games. Phil Parkinson’s men are just three points off the playoff places, helped by a nine-game unbeaten streak in England’s second-tier.

“Wrexham is on an incredible journey, and we are thrilled to be a part of it and to support the club, the Wrexham community and Rob and Ryan,” said Apollo Partner and ASC Co-Portfolio Manager Lee Solomon.

“This is a multi-faceted investment where Apollo Sports Capital can provide long-term, patient capital to help Wrexham reach its goals and to contribute to the ongoing revitalization of the facilities and local economy.”

Securing a place in the Premier League seemed impossible for the Red Dragons just four years ago, and yet now, they are closer than ever before, with new financial backing to help them along the way.