If you thought Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo were special, then just wait until you see the latest Carrington kid seemingly on the verge of a first-team breakthrough at Manchester United.
It’s been quite the week for arguably the brightest young gem in the current Red Devils youth sides. The Liverpool-born winger celebrated his 17th birthday, and what better gift than a first-team contract at Manchester United?
Shea Lacey, dazzling for United’s Under 18 side, put pen to paper on professional terms a few days ago still buzzing with jubilation after a victory over Watford which secured the league title for Adam Lawrence’s side.
If Harry Amass, Jack Fletcher, Ethan Wheatley and co all appear to have bright futures at Old Trafford – the trio have been training with Erik ten Hag’s first team recently – then Lacey could potentially be the cream of a very talented crop.
Manchester United tie down Shea Lacey
Lacey, too, was spotted being put through his paces alongside Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and co. Slight and small he may be, but his talent speaks for itself.
In fact, according to Give Me Sport reporter Ben Jacobs, there is a feeling among some at Old Trafford that Lacey may be following in the footsteps of Garnacho, Mainoo, Willy Kambwala and co in the near future.
“Shea Lacey (is one of) several top talents that Manchester United feel ready to step up, at least as far as first-team training is concerned,” Jacobs explains.
“And it’s normal at this stage of the season to give players who have had a good season, at youth level within the club infrastructure, minutes with the first team. That’s how you develop, by rubbing shoulders and ultimately training with the first team.
“The only way you can determine if a player of that age is ready as a starting point is by having them trained with the first team and then, at some point, throwing them in at the deep end.
“When you start to think about whether youngsters will make the squad and be involved in some capacity, you have to give them a training period with the first-team squad. That’s what’s happening at the moment.”
Read more: Who is Manchester United’s Shea Lacey? Age, Position, Stats and more
Likened to a young Wayne Rooney
If there were any concerns that a six-month spell on the sidelines through injury would stall Lacey’s progress, his performances since returning to the Under 18 squad suggest that those fears may have been unfounded. In just seven appearances this term, Lacey has two goals and three assists.
To some, there are shades of a young Wayne Rooney about the way he grabs a game by the scruff of the neck and pulls rabbits out of the hat, often bamboozling far older opponents along the way.
Lacey has been representing Man United’s Under 18 side since the age of 15, and upcoming clashes with the likes of Sheffield United and Burnley may offer Erik ten Hag the chance to reward his progress with a few minutes off the bench at Old Trafford.
‘The similarities between Lacey and Rooney are striking’, wrote GiveMeSport recently.
“You’ve got to win games. You’ve got to learn how to be a team, it’s not about individuals. And you can see, as a result of that, they have shone as individuals that have had fantastic games,” former United youngster Danny Webber told The Debate after Man United’s starlets secured Under 18 glory.
“The likes of Ethan Williams has been outstanding, Shea Lacey, Finley McAllister. You could go on and on and on. Harry Amass who has come in from Watford, has been outstanding. Within that team structure, they learn how to shine as individuals, and get the rewards for it.”