Which Carrington Talents Can Manchester United Turn To During AFCON? | OneFootball

Shea Lacey, Chido Obi and Jack Fletcher, as well as many more footballers currently in the Manchester United Academy Setup at Carrington, can give a major boost to the squad during the difficult AFCON period.

Bryan Mbeumo, Noussair Mazraoui and Amad’s departures will leave the right side of the pitch very bare. With Benjamin Sesko’s return date currently unknown, the likes of Lacey, who plays on the right side, and Chido Obi, who plays as a centre-forward, may be called upon.

manchester united need to trust the youth during afcon

Lacey has been someone who many have been hugely excited about since he joined the academy and is not overrated in the slightest, as has been disrespectfully suggested by a certain journalist in the United space in recent weeks. If it wasn’t for injuries, it’s fully expected that the Liverpool-born winger would have made a full debut for the first team at this stage, and as he’s been named in the first team squad for the first time against Everton this season, he will likely make his debut at some stage in the coming months.

Chido Obi has already achieved that milestone, but Ruben Amorim has been speaking recently about the fact that the striker, who was 17 years old at the time, was perhaps blooded into the first team too soon. At the time, considering the issues with performances last season, United was not a good enough environment to allow an academy player to flourish and grow into themselves. This may have led to a setback in the development of Chido, who left Arsenal’s Hale End academy last season because he felt a move to United would open up a better pathway to first-team football than with Mikel Arteta’s men.

The environment at United feels like it’s improving, and that’s likely what entices players like Chido and Ayden Heaven, but this still isn’t like the way it was in the past for youth products, although the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, in the opinion of many, including myself, should no doubt be getting more game time. The Class of ’92 is an anomaly in terms of youth development, and can’t always be pointed towards when referencing why players are not being pushed into the first team at the club at any given time, despite the clear clamouring for it amongst the fan base.

A different world than the class of ’92’

BRENTFORD, ENGLAND – MAY 04: Chido Obi-Martin of Manchester United in action during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Manchester United FC at Brentford Community Stadium on May 04, 2025 in Brentford, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

This is a different time, and there are different circumstances in the world, different difficulties the youth have to face, not just in football, but every day life. Social media was not prominent in those days, the movements of every young player who made an appearance for Manchester United were not monitored at length. These are all things the academy coaches, accompanied by the manager, have to consider when pushing a player into the spotlight under the Old Trafford lights. It’s not easy to gauge, and failure to adequately consider the consequences can have dangerous repercussions for the futures of these young players.

The squad has been struggling in recent seasons. This is not like sending Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes into a dressing room filled with players who had been moulded under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson and bred for success in the 8 years before he was at the club. This is a club that has been hurting for more than a decade, walking down a road with no direction or end in sight, desperate for some sort of sign that could guide them towards the big time again.

An environment like that makes it difficult for youth to thrive in, but Ruben Amorim’s appointment has shifted that culture, or so it seems. Videos behind the scenes are more prominent than ever, and it feels like the players are a family in every single one. There are top professionals in the dressing room now, as well as younger players trying to make their way.

It feels like the perfect time to try and implement the youth in the coming months. United feel like they are on the up. The 15th-place finish last season was a disaster, and the recent defeat to Everton was a throwback to that period, but despite that, there still seems to be some sort of switch amongst the group over the last couple of months. The recent run of 5 unbeaten is a run of games that was truly unimaginable last season, and the quality of teams played and beaten within that period was something Amorim could have only dreamed of achieving after the shame of disappointment of the Europa League final defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last season in Bilbao.

the quality is there

Shea Lacey is supremely talented. His quality has been on show for years in the youth teams at the club, with his best period coming in the U18 division. Before JJ Gabriel, Lacey was the man in the academy, and still to this day remains one of the most talented footballers the club has had come through the ranks in some time.

Expectations have to be tapered, of course. Lacey will not come in and push Mbeumo or Amad out of the team by the time they come back from AFCON, but he will be an adequate deputy in the meantime. Amorim referenced how happy he has been with the development of the Englishman, despite his injuries, and despite his apparent criticism in regards to trusting the youth, he seems more than happy to turn to them when the time comes over the upcoming months.

Chido Obi has been perfecting his game in the U21 division this season, not making a first-team appearance as of yet, but it’s a decision that will no doubt stand to him as his career goes on. Obi, who will celebrate his 18th Birthday on Friday, has scored five goals and delivered two assists in 13 games this season at the U21 level. An impressive return for a player who is so young, in a very physical brand and level of football at the U21 level.

Joshua Zirkzee and Matheus Cunha, providing his current knock is not too serious, will no doubt play up front in the absence of Sesko for the forthcoming weeks, but if needed, particularly off the bench, Chido will be ready, and hoping to score his first competitive professional goal for the club.

Noussair Mazraoui’s departure for AFCON with Morocco will also cause some issues for United in terms of their defensive options. Mazraoui can play both right wing-back and centre-back, so with him not available for selection for several games, particularly with Morocco expected to go far in the competition, United could call on some of the defenders or wing-backs at Carrington.

mantato, fredricson & more

LEIGH, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 12: Bendito Mantato of Manchester United looks on during the UEFA Youth League – Group A match between Manchester United and Bayern Munich at Leigh Sports Village on December 12, 2023 in Leigh, England. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)

Tyler Fredricson has played this season for the first team against Grimsby Town, and could be called into the squad again by Amorim over the period that AFCON will be on. Elsewhere, Bendito Mantato, a hugely exciting wing-back/winger that is similar to former Amorim player Geovany Quenda in play style, could also be someone who comes into the fold and tries to make an impact. Mantato is rapid and physically capable to make a name for himself, the question is whether Amorim feels he can cope with them demands in the Premier League.

A lot of names to ponder. Some will feature. Some won’t. But it’s good to be thinking about Manchester United’s youth still being able to help the first team when in need. There’s a strong argument that if the club had prioritised promoting the youth instead of gunning for big money signings over the last decade, they’d be in a much better place. Players like Danny Welbeck leaving the club, Jonny Evans when he left under Louis Van Gaal, and Marcus Rashford being at Barcelona now.

Just this week, James Garner put on a clinic in midfield against his former club, and with links ramping up linking him with a return to the place where he made his way in the football game before joining Everton, it’s yet another example of why United should trust in the players they develop in their own academy.

These are all players, more so Welbeck and Evans in isolation, who should have been the pillars around which United could have moulded a squad.

That doesn’t mean they had to be the star names per se, but huge members of the team, who knew what it meant to play for United, and would put their all on the line for the badge. That’s what the likes of Shea Lacey, Fredricson, Jim Thwaites and Mantato, as well as many, many more, including Jack Fletcher and highly rated midfielder Jayce Fitzgerald, would give to this team. Passion. Quality. And a desire to bring the club they grew up adoring and playing for back to the very, very top.

It’s all there for these lads to make an impact and a dent in the team when AFCON rolls around. The ball is now in the court of Ruben Amorim in the manager’s chair. The United faithful will be hopeful he lets the youth ball out at the Theatre of Dreams.