Shea Lacey: Man United starlet likened to Phil Foden after Burnley display | OneFootball

As 12-minute cameos go, Shea Lacey’s performance off the bench for Manchester United last night was a memorable one.

The 18-year-old attacker was introduced in the final period of a pulsating clash at Turf Moor, with the Red Devils locked in a stalemate with Burnley after scoring two goals apiece.

Under-18s coach Darren Fletcher had taken charge of the senior side in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s dismissal on Monday morning. The Scot showed no fear in throwing a young player onto the pitch in search of a last-minute winner — a cardinal sin perpetrated by his Portuguese predecessor in recent months.

Inches From a Fairy Tale

Lacey was brought on in the 84th minute in place of Manuel Ugarte with the game poised at 2-2.

While the scoreline remained the same as Stuart Attwell blew his final whistle, it was the youngster who came closest to breaking the deadlock — with his first touch of the ball. Lacey picked the ball up on the right-hand side and immediately drove towards the Burnley goal.

There were options in the box to pick out, but the audacity of youth prevailed and he instead unleashed a thunderous effort from 30 yards out, with the ball cannoning off the bar, inches away from a fairy tale finish at Turf Moor. Lacey played well beyond this, taking another ambitious effort from distance and demonstrating his skill on the ball.

Man United attacking dominance vs Burnley

In his post-match interview, Fletcher revealed he had told Lacey to be “fearless” — a test the 18-year-old passed with flying colours.

The next Phil Foden

Speaking after the match, former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart showered praise on Lacey, drawing a parallel to a current star at the Etihad.

“I’ll tell you what, he’s a player,” Hart said. “He reminds me of Phil Foden the way he moves.”

Their similarities on the pitch — left-footed playmakers from the right-hand side, with outstanding technique — are mirrored by their overlap off it, having both progressed through academies in Manchester to play for their senior sides. With dark hair and diminutive frames, they could even pass as brothers.

Hart’s analysis is supported by United legend Paul Scholes — a man notoriously hard to parse positivity from. Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Footbal podcast, Scholes stated: “I remember seeing [Lacey] three or four years ago, funnily enough talking about Phil Foden, I thought he was exactly like him, United have got a young Phil Foden here.

“He’s only 18, I thought he was a bit older than that, I remember seeing him that long ago, he’s probably very similar to Foden, he needs to develop a little bit more.”

Owen Hargreaves, who played with both Scholes and Hart after crossing the divide in Manchester, is in agreement with his former teammates.

“Tell you what, he’s a player. He’s got something. I know he’s only young, and you know, he’s not the biggest, but I tell you what, he’s got courage,” the former midfielder remarks.

“Knows exactly what he wants to do. Get onto that left foot. He reminds me a bit of Phil Foden, the way he moves, the way he dribbles. Technically, he’s a very, very good player. Scored a ton of goals in the youth team.”

Fletcher certainly believes Lacey can follow a similar path to the 2023/24 PFA Player of the Year, revealing he has “no doubts” the United youngster will be a “big part” of the club’s future, as Foden has on the Blue half of the city.

Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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