Shay Lacey has already made three first-team appearances this season. (Image: Getty)
Manchester United’s academy coaches speak calmly about their young players. They want to temper expectations, but when the Liverpool player’s name is mentioned, their masks fall. “Listen, everyone in the world knows about Shea Lacy,” Travis Binion gushed in September. It may sound like an exaggeration, but Lacey has been the talk of the academy ever since he was a boy.
Adam Lawrence spoke about Lacey earlier this week, then paused for a moment to consider his words. “Shea can do real first-team level things with the ball without getting too carried away,” he said. Those confessions alone are enough to tell you that Lacey is a tremendously talented footballer, but fans who saw his first-team cameos against Burnley and Brighton should already know that.
Lacey came close to scoring the winning goal against Burnley at Turf Moor in January when he hit the crossbar from the edge of the box. “Where was he?” Gary Neville quipped on commentary.
In the final stages of the FA Cup third round match against Brighton, Darren Fletcher replaced Lacey on the bench. His fearless play on the wing was a breath of fresh air, but the youngster received a second yellow card for throwing the ball on the ground in frustration.
United fans applauded Lacey as he returned to the dressing room. The young man looked distraught and pulled his shirt over his head. “He’s disappointed because I knew he cared and understood and would learn from it. There’s no doubt about his talent,” Fletcher said.
“And although today was a steep learning curve, we believe in Shay. He is one of our most exciting young prospects and we are confident he will have the chance to make up for it at Old Trafford in the future.”
Lacey completed his suspension and was last selected for the first team on February 1 against Fulham. He subsequently suffered a minor injury, but has now fully recovered and returned to training with the first team.
“Shea is a very unique case that you don’t see very often because he’s always had a higher level, like an elite skill level,” said interim U-21 manager Lawrence.
Shay Lacey is highly rated by Manchester United’s academy (Image: Getty)
“Physically he is a late developer. So in terms of the physical side of the game, these players need more time and patience. This period was very important for Shay because he was consistently in the first team.”
“So Shay will train with the first team on a daily basis and basically follow their program and then obviously fill in in the Under-21 games when he needs to play.
“In this short period of time he has had one or two small problems that disrupted his rhythm a little bit, but this has been the biggest hindrance he has had in the first team. He has been hitting the wood uninterrupted and training at a good level.
“The little injury he had recently wasn’t ideal, but overall he’s definitely in good shape. He’s definitely someone the club is really excited about.”
“It probably sounds like a broken record, but he’s just managing the delicate transition from being an Under-21 player to a senior footballer. However, for now the first team are using him on a day-to-day basis.”
United’s official website needs to be updated. Chido Obi was on the decline as a first-team player when it was decided he would remain in the academy this season. Ethan Wheatley is also included, although he has spent the season on loan. Lacey trains with the first team every day but is not listed as a first team player.
Lacey’s potential will be limited only by injury concerns. United have been patient with the youngster and it has paid off with his consistently strong performances this season.
The 18-year-old is an avid boxer and a good snooker player, but there are limits to how much time he can fill during his layoff. Lacey is desperate to show the world what he can do with the ball at his feet.
United will be in Europe for pre-season this summer and the trip will be a great opportunity for Lacey to stake his claim to a World Cup spot, with several senior players representing their countries at the World Cup.
Manchester United want Shea Lacey to be part of the first team for years to come (Image: Getty)
Lacey supports United despite having a season ticket for Liverpool as a child, and has represented England at every age level. England Under-21s manager Lee Carsley said Lacey was a player England valued “highly”.
In October, manager Thomas Tuchel called up Lacey to England’s senior training to supplement training. Lacey was selected for England’s Under-20 squad, but trained with the first team at St George’s Park.
Asked if Lacey would be available for next week’s Premier League International Cup quarter-final match between the Under-21s and Real Madrid, Lawrence smiled and said: “Yeah, I’ll have to sweet talk Michael.”
Lacey has been with the first team on a daily basis, but with seven Premier League games left, he could be relegated to the Under-21s to get more playing time.
“As a coach, you would want to get Shay to play as many games as possible, but at the same time, what he’s doing in the first team right now is really, really good and beneficial for him,” Lawrence said.
“The more important thing going into next week is to look at what the first-team participation will be and then consider which players will be available for the games.
“But again, it’s kind of a natural thing for Travis and the staff as well. But Michael has been really, really supportive and understands the games that are important to the academy and the games that he and the club feel are really, really good to be a part of.”
“They’re obviously going to support us, but obviously not at the expense of the first-team activities and their program. Michael spoke to me last week and the message coming from him is obviously a really good one.”
Lacey is hungry to get her message out there. It may not be long before the wider world learns about him.
