Man United players make Shea Lacey feelings clear as academy star receives Ruben Amorim call-up

Shea Lacey was in the Manchester United squad for the loss to Everton at Old Trafford on Monday evening, with a number of first-team stars sharing their support of the academy talent

Aaron Morris Senior Sports Reporter

14:08, 26 Nov 2025

Shea Lacey was on the bench for Manchester United vs Everton(Image: PA)

Joshua Zirkzee, Diogo Dalot and Tyrell Malacia were among the Manchester United players showing support to Shea Lacey after the academy star received a call-up to Ruben Amorim’s first-team.

The 18-year-old spent the entirety of his youth in the Reds’ development system before signing his first professional contract with the club last April. However, he is yet to make his official first-team debut for United.

That might have changed for the winger this week, however, with Amorim opting to include Lacey in his matchday squad for United’s clash with Everton on Monday evening. Speaking about the youngster ahead of the fixture, Amorim said: “I’m really happy with him.

“He struggled a little bit with injuries but they did a very good job balancing his body and you can sense he can manage more load during training. He has a lot of talent but when they come here they can sense the speed is completely different, so they need to spend more time with us to be prepared because our training is hard.

“In Premier League games the pressure is harder, so they need to be ready. When you call a kid up to the first team, they need to behave really well. This connection is really important. We are putting everything in place – a nutritionist for the academy starts now – in our club.

“That is something that should be basic. All these things we are doing, so I have more time with them and I’m more confident with them. When we put these kids in to play in the Premier League, they will struggle, but will struggle less I think.”

Unfortunately, Lacey did not receive any game time during Monday night’s clash, in which, United suffered a 1-0 loss to David Moyes’ rejuvenated Toffees. Everton, who were a man down as a result of Idrissa Gueye being sent off in the opening stages of the game for slapping Michael Keane, took a 1-0 lead over the hosts through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall 29 minutes in.

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Despite having the majority of the possession and the lion’s share of chances, a Jordan Pickford masterclass prevented the Reds from levelling matters, ensuring that Amorim and his team left Old Trafford empty-handed.

Regardless of failing to make it onto the pitch, Lacey was quick to take to Instagram in the aftermath of the game to share a photo carousel of his night under the bright lights, captioned simply with a love heart emoji. And a number of United first-team players showed their support.

Zirkzee, Dalot, Malacia and Mason Mount all liked the post, alongside fellow academy products in Harry Amass, Ethan Wheatley, Dan Gore, Joe Hugill, Rhys Bennett, Sam Mather and Godwill Kukonki. Willy Kambwala, who left the Reds to sign for Villarreal last year, was also among the names who liked the post.

Gabriel Biancheri, Tyler Fredricson and Jack Fletcher also shared messages of support in the comments section. Lacey could still get his chance to debut for Manchester United this season, especially with Amorim set to lose a number of key players to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui are the players who will jet off to the tournament next month to represent their respective nations, and could be missing from Premier League action until January depending on how Cameroon, the Ivory Coast and Morocco fare.

As a result, Amorim may need to dip into his reserves and academy to make up numbers for fixtures, which could be a chance for the likes of Lacey, Bendito Mantato and Jaydan Kamason to shine bright. Up next for United is a trip to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday, November 30.

But with two games against Wolves, as well as clashes with West Ham, Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Newcastle United in December, up and coming prospects may get their chance to show exactly what they can do in the English top flight sooner rather than later.

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