Manchester United’s young talent, Shea Lacey, had the opportunity to showcase his skills during training with the senior England squad today. The 18-year-old has been one of the most promising players emerging from the club’s academy. He previously trained with Ruben Amorim’s first-team in Manchester.
Lacey plays as an attacking midfielder, often operating on the right side or through the center. He was joined by fellow young talents Lakyle Samuel and Harrison Murray-Campbell during the session. Murray-Campbell is a highly-rated defender at Chelsea, while Samuel is currently on loan at Bromley in League Two from Manchester City.
It is common for players from England’s youth teams to be called into the senior squad for training sessions to increase the number of participants. Lacey hopes this will not be the last time he trains under the guidance of the England manager.
Comparisons to Phil Foden and Wayne Rooney
Despite facing persistent injury issues over the past two years, there is a lot of excitement about Lacey’s potential back at Carrington. With exceptional close control and dribbling skills, the Merseyside-born player has drawn early comparisons to Phil Foden, a product of Manchester City’s academy, and former United legend Wayne Rooney.
Lacey signed his first professional contract with Manchester United after turning 17 in 2024 and has been part of the England setup since the Under-15 level. His talent caught the attention of former United manager Erik ten Hag, who held private meetings with several young players, including Lacey, in the summer of 2023 after his first season in charge.
However, talk of a senior debut under Ten Hag faded as injuries plagued Lacey. He has described his recent struggles as “being through hell.”
Injuries have taken a toll on Lacey
Lacey suffered a torn thigh muscle in October 2023, and United cautiously reintroduced him in March of the following year, limiting his involvement in the latter part of the season. He returned briefly at the start of the 2024-25 season, showing glimpses of the brilliance that many expect from him.
Further injury problems limited his playing time last season, and United has been careful in managing his minutes and physical workload. However, by the turn of the year, signs of improvement began to emerge. Lacey’s brother, Paddy Lacey, a professional boxer, tweeted in February: “Been through hell the past 14 months. Watch him fly now.”
Although fitness issues prevented Lacey from playing in United’s run to the FA Youth Cup semi-finals last season, he ended the campaign with two goals and two assists in five Under-18 Premier League appearances. This season, he has scored two goals in four appearances for the Under-21s and recently completed his first full 90 minutes since October 2023 in an EFL Trophy match against Lincoln.
Lacey also trained under Amorim and his staff at Carrington, having been part of the senior squad that traveled to the Far East at the end of last season. He managed to play a bright 14 minutes against AEAN All-Stars.
Lacey made a return to the international scene for the first time in two years when he was named in Ben Futcher’s England Under-20 squad earlier this month.
“Everyone can see the talent Lacey has got”
Lacey has been able to make up for some lost time this season, and although the coaching staff is still carefully managing his workload, United Under-21 manager Travis Binnion is confident in his future.
“Listen, everybody in the world knows about Shea Lacey,” Binnion recently told the Manchester Evening News. “So he needs a little bit of fortune, he needs to be patient with himself and everybody else needs to be really patient with him.
“Everybody can see – you have to be blind not to see – the talent he’s got. He’s got lots to do in his game and he knows. We’re still managing him physically because if he can stay on the pitch and can train every day, I think everyone thinks he could be a top, top player.”
