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Wayne Rooney was a notable absentee from Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, and had the England captain been available to lead his side out at Old Trafford, the result may well have gone in the home side’s favour.
After all, Rooney has a fantastic record of 14 goals against the Gunners and has enjoyed a return to form since being restored to his favoured attacking role. But injury forced him out of the match that saw Arsenal take a step closer to finishing third in the Premier League, and then Rooney was shown up by his one-year-old son Klay as he scored a goal of his own at the Theatre of Dreams.
But Rooney’s dad-duty didn’t end there. As the United skipper stopped outside the stadium to sign a few autographs for the adoring fans, Rooney turned around to spot his older son, Kai, doing exactly the same.
Show all 24 1 /24Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings David De Gea Didn’t have a single shot (either on or off target) to contend with in the first half as Manchester United kept Arsenal at arm's length. Alarmingly for the Old Trafford faithful, his departure felt like it could be his last. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Antonio Valencia Galloped down the flank with intent and was prepared to track back when required. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Chris Smalling A surprise choice to captain the Red Devils, in Wayne Rooney’s absence, the England defender delivered a composed and authoritative display. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Phil Jones His head-first ‘slide tackle’ is likely to be lighting up Twitter news feeds this evening but it was an instance which underlined his determination to succeed at Manchester United. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Marcos Rojo Was on hand to denyAaron Ramsey in the second half on one of the rare occasions where Arsenal managed to forge a way through the United backline. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Daley Blind An assured and impressive display from one of the more reliable figures at Louis Van Gaal’s disposal. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Juan Mata The Spaniard likes to pull the strings and, with Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera by his side, he was given licence to do just that. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Ander Herrera Another excellent and exuberant performance from the little man in midfield. If he wasn’t 'dancing' through his Arsenal peers, he was spraying the ball across the pitch to his United colleagues. 8
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Marouane Fellaini A quieter outing than usual for the former Everton man. Gave United his typically menacing aerial threat but nothing much else. 6
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Ashley Young Never stopped running after lost causes and creating opportunities out of nowhere. If Ashley Young does not receive an England call-up, football pundits across the land should eat their hats. 9
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Radamel Falcao He tried, of course he did, but it just isn’t going for the Colombian at Old Trafford. Leaving the pitch, to make way for Robin van Persie, he even appeared to wave to the United supporters. 6
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Off the Bench: Víctor Valdes Made his quite awaited debut during second half where he replaced an injured David De Gea. Had no responsibility for the equaliser but only played for 20 minutes. 4
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings David Ospina Like David De Gea at the other end, the Arsenal goalkeeper had precious little to do. He could have read today’s copy of the Independent on Sunday on occasions. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Hector Bellerin Faster than Theo Walcott, you sometimes wish the former Barcelona man would run at opponents more often. Nonetheless this was an impressive outing. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Per Mertesacker Luckily for the German defender, Manchester United don’t have too many pacey attackers at their disposal at the moment. His aerial talents continue to play their part. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Laurent Koscielny Had to be alert with Ashley Young stalking the flanks with intent but stood firm when crosses were fired his way. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Nacho Monreal Often liable to be caught in possession, Nacho Monreal was clearly keen to keep the ball and distribute well this afternoon. As far as that ambition goes, he did well. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Francis Coquelin The Frenchman’s superb breakthrough season continues. This was a hardly glittering display from the ex-Charlton loanee but he played his part in a valuable away point. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Santi Cazorla With his wasp-like attitude to chasing lost causes, the Arsenal playmaker was a menace without doing anything too menacing. His presence is enough to alarm defenders and, on another day, he could have won it for Arsene Wenger. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Aaron Ramsey One of Arsenal’s best players. The Welshman always knew where his teammates were and has the quality to find them with an unrivalled precision. 8
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Mesut Ozil Another quiet outing from Mesut Ozil but, considering his brilliant form of late, we’ll forgive him for one off-day. The German toiled with Marouane Fellaini in the centre of the park but often came off second best. 6
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Alexis Sanchez If Arsenal were to have a foray into the United half, it would usually have something to do with their Chilean superstar. Alexis Sanchez is the sort of player Arsene Wenger can build a team around. 7
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Olivier Giroud It’s been an odd season for the Gunners' forward but his head has never dropped and that is most definitely to his testament. 6
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Manchester United 1 Arsenal 1 player ratings Best of the Bench: Theo Walcott Benefited from a very generous slice of luck to drag Arsenal level but nonetheless had to be in the right place at the right time to score his goal. 7
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Rooney posted a video of the comical incident on his Instagram account along with the caption: "I stopped to sign some autographs at Old Trafford yesterday and turned around to find Kai doing the same."
Kai Rooney signs autographs for Manchester United fans
Kai even stopped to pose for a selfie
Wayne Rooney has to come and lead his son away
Watch the video below:
A football superstar in the making? Well, five-year-old Kai is already showing that he understands the need to please the fans, but only time will tell whether he can emulate Rooney Snr on the pitch.
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