Shea Lacey scored for England U20 on Friday in a 1-1 draw against Japan. He has now set further targets for himself in an England kit.
After two years of struggling through injuries, Shea Lacey has this season put that behind him, putting together a strong run of games and keeping fit.
Lacey has regularly trained with Manchester United’s first team, and Ruben Amorim has been ‘enthused’ by the improvements and confidence that the 18-year-old has shown.
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This season has also seen Lacey return to the England set-up, called up to the U20 side twice now, both times getting exposure at a higher level, and now he’s targeting a step-up.
Shea Lacey outlines desire to secure England U21 call-up
Lacey was called into senior training by Thomas Tuchel last month during the international break, and this month he was involved with the U21s in training – while playing at an U20 level.
This week, Lacey played for England U20 vs Japan, scoring a brilliant goal in the process, which earned a draw for the hosts.
After this game, Lacey was talking to journalist Tom Jolley, who asked about Lee Carsley’s praise, to which the United starlet explained the he is now targeting a U21 call-up.
“Yeah it’s good to join them [U21s]. Some of the players are top players, playing in top leagues and playing every week, so it’s good to join them. But [I] want to get the call-up permanently and stay around it.”
Lacey also discussed how valuable his time with the U20 team has been for developing relationship and linking up with new players.
“It’s good to play with new players and to try and click with them, obviously everyone is a good player here at England, so its getting used to each other, it’s the first time we’ve played together but you can see the ability everyone’s got.”
U20 boss Ben Futcher also praised Lacey post-game, describing him as a ‘special player’, as Tom Jolley has reported.
Shea Lacey needs Manchester United debut to achieve call-up to England U21
Lacey’s ambition to be regular for the U21s is very possible, with Carsley and Tuchel both already showing how highly they rate him.
However, considering how much talent is in the England U21 squad, he will likely need to be playing for Manchester United’s first team to warrant a call-up.
Lacey will be competing with £50m Chelsea star Jamie Gittens, Tyrique George and Tyler Dibling for minutes on the wings for England U21 and so first-team football is needed.
The good news, Lacey is on the verge of a debut for United, with AFCON considered a period when he will certainly be in and around the team for Amorim without Bryan Mbeumo.
The star of Shea Lacey has only begun to rise.
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