Jacey Carrick made his Manchester United senior debut on Friday, coming on as a substitute in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Lausanne at Carrington. The 16-year-old midfielder, son of United manager Michael Carrick, featured in a team that included Harry Maguire, Matheus Cunha and Carlos Baleba.
Academy call-up for international break friendly
With many first-team players away on international duty, Carrick called up academy players to make up the numbers. The match against Lausanne was arranged because the Swiss side are also owned by INEOS, United's owners. Carrick wanted to keep his players sharp during a long break between Premier League fixtures: United have not played since the 1-1 draw against Fulham on September 20 and do not face Spurs until October 10.
Jacey has been with the United academy since the age of six and signed a first-year scholarship deal in July. He has made five appearances for the under-18s this season.
Family ties and academy connections
Jacey has come through the academy alongside Kai Rooney, eldest son of United legend Wayne Rooney, who was a teammate of Michael Carrick. He is also friends with Jack and Tyler Fletcher, sons of former United midfielder Darren Fletcher, now the club's Under-18s head coach. The Fletcher twins commented on Jacey's Instagram post marking his scholarship signing, which read: "Nearly 10 years at this club, grateful to sign my scholarship."
Carrick has previously said Jacey is "United obsessed" and has appeared on the pitch alongside his sister Louise during end-of-season laps of appreciation.
Manager under pressure
Carrick was appointed United manager in the summer after stepping in as interim boss following the sacking of Ruben Amorim. He has one win from the opening five league matches and United were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Brighton. Asked about his position, Carrick said: "In terms of future and ownership and how long I've got in the job, I'm not thinking 'how long have I got?' It's ridiculous to think that way in a position that I'm in. That's just not on the radar. It's two or three games that we haven't had certain results, and two or three games too many because I really hate losing. But that doesn't mean that the world caves in."
