Kai has not always wanted his father to be that close, with mother Coleen telling The Irish Independent of how Wayne can be an unwelcome distraction: “I’ve got to make them aware that with social media, things can come back around again. My eldest is 15, he’s at a football academy [in Manchester] where they have social media workshops. They’re told if they put anything online now and you’re in the public eye, it can affect you later on.
“But I think our kids grew up with it. There’s certain things that it does affect – there were times when the kids have said, when Wayne was playing, ‘Can Dad stay at home?’ because we didn’t get around the theme park. Or, ‘He’s not watching me play football because he’s being asked for selfies.’
“He’s grateful for fans too, so it’s a hard situation. We’ve obviously made them aware of things as they’ve got older and started to understand things.”
Wayne is free to watch Kai in action at present, having opted against another return to management, with the 40-year-old enjoying punditry work with Match of the Day and TNT Sports. He is also set to star in an upcoming Disney+ documentary alongside Coleen and their four sons.