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Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has spoken about his son Kai Rooney’s development at the club’s academy.

According to The Mirror, Rooney said his son has had to adapt his position to keep pace with the tactical demands of the modern game.

Kai Rooney continues academy rise

Kai, who turned 16-years-old in November, joined United’s academy at 11-years-old in 2020 after following the same pathway his father once took.

The report states the youngster has already been called up to the Under-18s despite still being younger than many players in that age group.

Rooney famously emerged as a teenage forward at Everton before going on to become a major figure for club and country, but he suggested the route for young attackers has shifted.

As per the report, Kai began his youth career as a centre-forward and impressed across multiple age groups as a number 9.

Rooney highlights modern striker trend

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney suggested the pool of elite strikers has thinned because many academy players are attracted to other attacking roles.

He said: “The standard of English players has increased massively, I just think it’s purely because they don’t want to...