Manchester United have had several players of interest playing on international duty this month, and among them is 18-year-old Shea Lacey.
The 2025/26 season has been amazing for Shea Lacey, from the point of view that his career is well and truly back on track, and the injury woes which plagued him for so long.
Manchester United are very excited by the youngster, and for good reason, as the wonderkid is as good as any 18-year-old in the world on his day.
Lacey has been tearing it up for United in training with Ruben Amorim making him a regular, while back-to-back England call-ups at U20 level prove he is well on the road toward reaching his potential.
Shea Lacey scores for England U20 vs Japan
After an October international call up which saw Lacey called into England’s first team training alongside Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford as Thomas Tuchel ran the rule over him.
This month, it was another U20 call-up and this time Lacey has been in action in a friendly against Japan, in which he scored England’s solitary goal.
Lacey had a look of joy and relief on his face after scoring, as he continues to rise this season, ticking off milestones and looks to earn himself an U21 call-up for the next international break.
Lacey was in U21 training during this international break, and explaining this decision, Lee Carsley has been quoted by the Daily Mail discussing the youngster.
“He’s been in the pathway a good amount of time now, and he’s a player that we rate highly.
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“It worked out well that we needed that position for the training we were doing, and Shea was more than happy to come over and train with the Under-21s.
“You can see he’s a good talent. I know he’s struggled with injuries in the past, which has probably held back his development, but I think it’s so important we don’t rush these young players; we let them develop in their own time.
“I think he trained two sessions with us, and I enjoyed having him.”
Shea Lacey performance is a big statement to Ruben Amorim
Lacey is so talented that his only problem in his career has been injury, but now it looks like a thing of the past and the injuries could have been a result of his growing pains.
If so, Lacey is already tipped for a first team debut under Amorim and his chances are only increasing through his performances for club and country.
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AFCON is now well and truly on the horizon, with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad set to be gone for a month over December and January, and therefore Lacey is the player United need to bring some magic to the right side.
Lacey is being primed to step up, but it needs to happen sooner than later for United to allow him time to settle in before perhaps becoming the starter in Mbeumo’s absence.
The performance for England U20 is a clear message to Amorim that he is ready to contribute.
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