Manchester United Under-21s manager Adam Lawrence has joked that he will need to 'try and sweet talk' first-team boss Michael Carrick into allowing him to play Shea Lacey in academy matches, now that the 18-year-old talent is permanently integrated with the senior squad.
Lacey's Permanent First-Team Status
Shea Lacey broke into the first team under previous manager Ruben Amorim, and while the typical routine for academy players involves oscillating between senior and Under-21s training, that is no longer the case for Lacey. Lawrence explained, 'So, day to day, Shea will train with the first team, basically follow their programme and then obviously be topped up with Under-21 games when he needs to be playing.'
Upcoming Fixtures and Lacey's Availability
United's Under-21s are set to play away to Leeds United on Friday afternoon, followed by hosting Real Madrid Castilla at Old Trafford on Tuesday night in the quarter-finals of the Premier League International Cup. However, with Lacey only just returning from a period out through injury, and considering the demands of the first team during the crucial run-in, it remains uncertain how much academy football, if any, Lacey will participate in ahead.
Lacey's Unique Development Path
'Shea is quite a unique case that you don't see a lot of within the game because he's always had a higher level, like an elite technical level,' Lawrence continued. 'He's been a later developer physically. So it's not always an easy case with that type of player because they can do things with the ball, which are, without getting too carried away, like first-team level, genuinely. But then in terms of the physicality and the physical side of the game, they need more time and patience. So again, this period has been really critical for Shea in terms of being consistently with the first team.'
Decision Time for Carrick
The key question is whether Lacey, who is now back in first-team training, will line up with the Under-21s on Tuesday versus Real Madrid or find himself over in Ireland with Carrick and the first team at their mid-season training camp. 'Of course, as a coach you want to have Shea available for as many games as possible,' Lawrence added. 'But at the same time, what he's doing with the first team at the moment is really, really good and beneficial for him.'
Carrick's Supportive Stance
Lawrence noted that Carrick has been very supportive, understanding the importance of marquee games for the academy. 'Michael [Carrick] has been really, really supportive and he understands in terms of the marquee games for the academy and the ones that he and the club feels are really, really good to be involved in. They would obviously support [that] but obviously not at the expense of what the first team are doing or their programme.'
He further revealed, 'But Michael has already said to me last week, I had a short conversation just around the programme next week for the 21s and the games and the opportunities and basically the first team supporting that. So that message coming from him is obviously really good.'
Fans can purchase tickets to watch the Under-21s take on Real Madrid Castilla at Old Trafford on Tuesday, April 7, with more details available through official channels.
