United’s famous names ‘dealing with the craziness’ at SuperCupNI

Rooney and Carrick’s team name appears on a Manchester United team sheet frequently to give the Red Devils fond memories, but this week in Northern Ireland it has provided a glimpse into the possible future.

At the SuperCupNI, Kai Rooney and Jacey Carrick have been gaining attention rather than Wayne or Michael.

The junior tournament’s predecessor, the Milk Cup, is a rich match between the Premiership giants, and this year’s crop of under-16s has once again reached the Premier Division final.

On Friday night, they will take on Southampton in Coleraine in a game that will be live streamed on the BBC Sport website (20:00 BST).

Some of the stars who have excelled at the tournament before resuming their appearances at Old Trafford include David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, the Neville brothers, Danny Welbeck, and Marcus Rashford.

Local favorites Jonny Evans and Keith Gillespie, who will appear on Friday in BBC coverage, are also notable graduates.

Their coach, Tom Curtis, does not believe the pair are under any excessive pressure, despite their famous fathers and subsequent media attention to Rooney and Carrick on the way to the final.

There is a little pressure on the young people, but I don’t think they feel it, according to Curtis, who is Manchester United’s head of player development for the 13-16 age group. “Wayne and Michael were top, top players, world class players,” said Curtis, who is head of player development at Manchester United.

“They have been fantastic in their work ethic, application, and approach to the tournament, which is by the way very difficult, especially given how we play,” they said.

This week, both Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick have been interested in speculating on the north coast of Northern Ireland.

The parents’ support of their sons through their Manchester United journey is fantastic, according to Curtis.

I don’t think the boys feel any pressure because of how they as parents play the boys’ football, in all seriousness, they have been doing it top-notch.

“Any time I’ve ever spoken to them, I’ve always said, they’re level-headed, very composed, and don’t anticipate too much from the boys; they just let them get on and enjoy their football,” the way they conduct themselves is really reflected in their behavior.

Local Manchester United fans have been clamoring all week for a sight of potential stars of the future because so many of their former teams have had professional careers.

Curtis believes that his young children’s benefit from the week is being able to deal with the furore.

It’s really nice practice for these young players because they’ll have to deal with the pressure, he added.