Kai Rooney cleared to wear Puma boots at Man United after age-group promotion ends kit rule

Kai Rooney will be free to wear his Puma-sponsored boots for Manchester United next season after turning 16 before the August 31 age-group cutoff, moving him up to the U18s where the club’s uniform kit policy no longer applies.

The 16-year-old signed a sponsorship deal with Puma in 2022 at the age of 12, but the arrangement had been effectively dormant at U16 level, where United require every academy player to wear the same boots. The policy, as his father Wayne explained, is designed to protect players from less affluent backgrounds from feeling disadvantaged.

“He’s obviously with Puma but when he plays for the Manchester United U16s, something which I really like is he can’t wear his Puma boots,” Wayne Rooney said on The Smith Brothers: Not A Podcast. “All the academy have to wear the same boots. They do it because there’s people from areas where they can’t afford certain boots so I think it’s really good. But he’s played for the U18s a few times and he can then wear his Puma boots. He’s doing well to be fair to him.”

Kai made six appearances for the U18s this season, having made his debut at that level aged 15 in a 1-0 win over Everton last August. His campaign was cut short by a season-ending injury in March, ruling him out of United’s FA Youth Cup final against Manchester City, which the young Reds lost 2-1.

As the son of United’s record goalscorer — Wayne netted 253 goals in 559 appearances for the club — Kai carries considerable expectation. He plays as a forward, mirroring his father’s position, though he is left-footed where Wayne was predominantly right-footed.

Kai is the eldest of Wayne and Coleen Rooney’s four sons, ahead of Klay, Kit, and Cass. Asked in an interview with The Talent Hunter on Instagram where he hoped to be in five years, the teenager was direct: “Playing on the biggest stage amongst the best players, winning trophies.”