Wayne Rooney's son Kai scores hat-trick and bags two assists for Manchester United youth team

They say the apple never falls too far from the tree, and that's clearly the case when it comes to footballing talent in the Rooney family.

Kai Rooney, son of Manchester United's record goalscorer Wayne, is making waves in the club's academy these days and, in his latest exploits, the youngster contributed to five goals in one game.

Rooney Junior took to Instagram to share details of the game, which was a 6-4 win for United's Under-14s against – perhaps aptly given Rooney Senior's connections – Everton, with Kai scoring a hat-trick and laying on two assists.

It's not the first time the 14-year-old has hit the headlines for his performances in the United academy. So while he's still got a long way to go to match his father in terms of footballing achievements, United may have another gem on their hands.

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“He’s enjoying it,” Rooney told The Athletic last year when talking about his son's football development. “That’s the most important thing. He’s doing everything he can to try to have a career in football and not just him, my other children as well.

“They love the game and my advice — to any children — is play to enjoy. There’s that much pressure when you do get to the professional level and sometimes you forget why you’re playing the game.

“You’re playing because you love playing the game and you enjoy playing the game. As long as you’re doing everything right to give yourself the best opportunity then you never know.

“Young players develop at different times and in different ways. He’s trying, he’s giving it a go and