Man Utd stars support Shea Lacey after first-team call-up | Football | Sport

Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia were among the Manchester United stars rallying behind Shea Lacey following the academy prospect’s promotion to Ruben Amorim‘s senior squad. The 18-year-old has progressed through the entirety of his youth career within the Red Devils’ academy setup prior to penning his maiden professional deal with the club last April. Nevertheless, he has yet to earn his official senior debut for United.

That could have been altered for the winger this week, though, with Amorim choosing to name Lacey in his matchday selection for United’s encounter with Everton on Monday evening. Discussing the teenager prior to the fixture, Amorim remarked: “I’m really happy with him.

“He struggled a little bit with injuries, but they did a very good job balancing his body and you can sense he can manage more load during training. He has a lot of talent, but when they come here, they can sense the speed is completely different, so they need to spend more time with us to be prepared because our training is hard.

“In Premier League games the pressure is harder, so they need to be ready. When you call a kid up to the first team, they need to behave really well. This connection is really important. We are putting everything in place – a nutritionist for the academy starts now – in our club.

“That is something that should be basic. All these things we are doing, so I have more time with them and I’m more confident with them. When we put these kids in to play in the Premier League, they will struggle, but will struggle less, I think.”

Regrettably for Lacey, the youngster was not handed any minutes during Monday evening’s encounter, where United endured a 1-0 defeat to David Moyes’ resurgent Toffees. Everton, who were reduced to 10 men following Idrissa Gueye’s dismissal in the early moments for striking Michael Keane, secured a 1-0 advantage over their hosts courtesy of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall after 29 minutes.

Despite dominating possession and creating the better opportunities, a Jordan Pickford masterclass denied the Red Devils an equaliser, ensuring Amorim and his squad departed Old Trafford with nothing to show for their efforts.

Although he failed to feature on the pitch, Lacey was swift to post on Instagram following the match, sharing a photo collection from his evening beneath the floodlights, accompanied by nothing more than a heart emoji.

Numerous United first-team stars demonstrated their backing. Zirkzee, Dalot, Malacia and Mason Mount all endorsed the post, along with fellow academy graduates Harry Amass, Ethan Wheatley, Dan Gore, Joe Hugill, Rhys Bennett, Sam Mather and Godwill Kukonki.

Willy Kambwala, who departed the Red Devils to join Villarreal last year, was also amongst those who endorsed the post. Gabriel Biancheri, Tyler Fredricson and Jack Fletcher have all shown their support for Lacey in the comments section.

With Amorim set to lose key players to the Africa Cup of Nations, Lacey could still make his debut for Manchester United this season.

Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui are set to represent their respective nations at the tournament next month, potentially leaving a gap in Premier League action until January depending on how Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Morocco perform.

This could lead to Amorim dipping into his reserves and academy to fill the squad for fixtures, providing an opportunity for Lacey, Bendito Mantato and Jaydan Kamason to step up. Next on the agenda for United is a match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday, November 30.

However, with two games against Wolves, as well as matches with West Ham, Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Newcastle United in December, it may not be long before these rising stars get their chance to prove themselves in the English top flight.