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When Rooney made the move to Manchester United it was at a time with far less social media, the increase of which he feels creates a different kind of pressure on young footballers in the modern game.<\/p>\n
Rooney’s oldest son, Kai, is currently on the books at United and has stressed the importance of making sure he has a strong support network as he looks to make it in professional football.<\/p>\n
“Now the difference is social media,” Rooney said. <\/p>\n
“When I was young, I was in the local newspapers and so everyone in Liverpool really knew me.<\/p>\n
“Now I have it with my boy who’s 16 and he’s on social media. He plays for my United, he’s sponsored by Puma and there’s hundreds of thousands or millions of people watching them when they’re that young, and I didn’t have that really. <\/p>\n
“Being a young player and going into the first team especially, you’re getting judged. Rightly or wrongly, you get judged and that’s where you need the people around you, people at the club or your family to keep you in a good place. <\/p>\n
“We can all get carried away with social media as well. So it’s really important that the people who are close to you have your best interest. It’s the main thing.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n