Kai Rooney makes first competitive Old Trafford appearance for Man Utd youth side as 'incognito' dad Wayne watches from the stands

They were made to work hard to progress, however, as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw in normal time before United broke the deadlock shortly before the break in extra time after James Overy's ball into the box was inadvertently turned into the Derby net by Rams defender Luca Crolla. And United were two goals to the good two minutes later as Chido Obi doubled the home side's advantage.

Max Nessling halved the deficit with seven minutes to play to set up a tense finish, but United held out to secure their spot in the next round of the competition. Interim first-team head coach Michael Carrick was in attendance, and said before the game: "My message of support is I'm going along and I'm excited and going to watch. I was lucky enough to play in it, and win it, when I was young at West Ham.

"It is such an important competition, especially for this club, and the youngsters, at Old Trafford, under the floodlights, will be feeling what it means and feeling a little bit of expectation. It's a fantastic opportunity for the young boys to go and take the next step.

"We're all fully behind them. It'll be a tough game but I'm looking forward to going along and watching."

However, it was Kai Rooney's appearance that drew the most attention. The 16-year-old came off the bench in extra time to chants of 'Rooney! Rooney!' as United U18s head coach Fletcher prepared to introduce the teenager.

And Kai made his cameo, his first at Old Trafford, in front of parents Wayne and Coleen, while director of football Jason Wilcox, director of recruitment Christopher Vivell and academy director Stephen Torpey were also present on Friday night. Former United midfielder Darron Gibson was also in the directors' box as Kai caught the eye despite playing two years below his age group.

Father Wayne was mobbed by fans as he tried to make an incognito appearance at Old Trafford on Friday night but failed to keep a low profile. The former United hitman has tried to stay away from his son's football matches in order to avoid become a distraction.

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Coleen Rooney has previously explained why Wayne was prohibited from attending Kai's early matches, disclosing as much during a stint on 'I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here' in 2024. "How do you say to all of these kids: 'Go away, I’m watching my son?'" Coleen admitted.

"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'."

Wayne Rooney, meanwhile, has previously spoken highly of Kai. While watching his son play at the SuperCupNI tournament in Northern Ireland, the former striker told the BBC: "He has great coaches at Manchester United, so I take a stand-off approach. 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."

United U18s will take on Oxford in the last-16 of the FA Youth Cup, a match that Kai will hope to feature in as he continues to catch the eye of United U18 boss Fletcher.

The senior side, meanwhile, are next in action on Sunday as they look to build upon last weekend's 2-0 Manchester derby win when they face league leaders Arsenal. Second-half goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu saw United claim a routine home victory over rivals Manchester City, though Carrick's side could, and should, have won by more.

United saw three goals ruled out for offside and struck the woodwork twice in a dominant display as the interim boss enjoyed a winning return to the Old Trafford dugout.