Shea Lacey becomes first Man United teen in a decade to score on debut start

In partnership with

The Football Faithful

·17 September 2026

Shea Lacey becomes first Man United teen in a decade to score on debut start

Shea Lacey has become the first teenager in over a decade to mark their first Manchester United start with a goal.

Manchester United crashed out of the Carabao Cup after a 3-2 defeat to Brighton on Wednesday night, though the contribution of Lacey at least offered a silver lining. On his full debut, the 19-year-old opened the scoring at Old Trafford before Mason Mount doubled the lead for Michael Carrick’s side.

OneFootball Videos

United collapsed to lose 3-2 and exit the competition in the third round, though Lacey has stated his case for more regular involvement.

Lacey is the first teenager to score on their first start for Manchester United since an 18-year-old Marcus Rashford achieved the feat in a Europa League game against FC Midtjylland in February 2016.

Speaking at full-time, Carrick said it was a ‘shame’ that Lacey’s big moment will get ‘a bit lost’ in the aftermath of defeat.

“It’s a shame that Shea’s moment, such a great moment for him, his family, his friends and the whole Academy, gets a bit lost,” Carrick said in his post-match press conference.

“It won’t for him when things settle down, but as we sit here now, it feels like it was a long time ago.”