Former Manchester United star John O’Shea believes Ruben Amorim should have turned to teenager Shea Lacey to try and rescue his side against Everton.
United fell to a dismal 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford on Monday night, brutally halting the momentum they had started to gather again after five games without a defeat.
Even with the Toffees reduced to 10 men after just 13 minutes, the hosts were lifeless and bereft of ideas with Everton good value for their victory.
Joshua Zirkzee led the line that night with Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha both unavailable with the Dutchman doing little to strengthen his case for a starting role.
Even against 10 men, Amorim did not stray from his 3-4-3 formation with Matthijs de Ligt, Luke Shaw and Leny Yoro all on the pitch with Diogo Dalot coming on in the second-half as they chased an equaliser.
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Shaw was criticised by United legend Gary Neville for ‘ambling’ forward and not offering enough to support United’s attack while Yoro often found himself in an advanced role but lacked the invention to make anything of note happen.
United’s options off the bench were limited that night but 18-year-old Lacey was among the subs. Amorim plans to start integrating the youngster into the first-team in the coming weeks to provide cover when Bryan Mbuemo and Amad Diallo depart for the Africa Cup of Nations in December.
While not an ideal situation to be dropping a youngster in for his debut, O’Shea insists Lacey’s introduction could have provided the spark his old side needed.
‘Listen, he could have brought one of the centre-backs off and put on another, dropped one of the midfielders back in and sort of give young Shea Lacey a go at it,’ O’Shea told talkSPORT.
‘I know it wouldn’t have been an ideal scenario to bring a young kid onto the pitch like that, but at least he would have had a freshness and a rawness about him that he might have been able to create something because that’s what the kid is all about.’
Who is Shea Lacey?
Lacey has had to overcome persistent injury problems over the last two years but there is huge excitement over his potential back at Carrington.
Blessed with exceptional close control and dribbling ability, the Merseyside-born youngster has drawn early comparisons with Phil Foden, a product of Manchester City’s academy, and United legend Wayne Rooney.
He signed his first professional contract with United after turning 17 in 2024 and has been part of the England set up since Under-15 level.
He caught the eye of former United boss Erik ten Hag who held private meetings with a number of United youngsters including a then-16-year-old Lacey in the summer of 2023 after his first season in charge.
Talk of a senior debut under the Dutchman went away as injuries struck.
Lacey has ‘been through hell’ with injuries
Lacey suffered a torn thigh muscle in October 2023 with United cautiously bringing him back in March last year, having little role to play at the end of the season.
He returned for a brief period at the start of the 2024-25 season, showing the flashes of brilliance that have so many expecting big things of him.
Further injury problems limited his game time last season and United have understandably been protective in managing his minutes and physical workload. But by the turn of the year, light began to form at the end of the tunnel. Shea’s brother Paddy Lacey, a footballer who has also boxed professionally, tweeted of his brother in February: ‘Been through hell the past 14 months. Watch him fly now’.
Fitness issues he meant had no role to play in United’s run to the FA Youth Cup semi-finals last season but ended the campaign with two goals and two assists in five Under-18 Premier League appearances.
This term, he has hit two goals in four appearances for the Under-21s, recently completing his first full 90 minutes since October 2023 in an EFL Trophy match against Lincoln.
He was also part of the senior squad that flew out to the Far East at the end of last season, managing a bright 14 minutes against AEAN All-Stars.
Lacey returned to the international scene for the first time in two years when he was named in Ben Futcher’s England Under-20 squad earlier in October.