“He’s fearless”, “Where’s he been?“: Club legend and manager gushing over United superstar-in-the-making

Manchester United had to be content with only a point as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Turf Moor by relegation candidates Burnley on Wednesday. While the result will not have pleased fans, there was much to cheer for in the first game of the post-Ruben Amorim era. Darren Fletcher had the players playing with a lot more freedom, as seen from the displays of Manuel Ugarte, Benjamin Sesko, and Patrick Dorgu. The Slovenian grabbed a brace, while the Dane registered an assist. If not for two goalline clearances, the Red Devils would have claimed all three points. Shea Lacey impressive cameo The former head coach would often resort to bringing in a tall centre-back to change the outcome of games via set-pieces. Not the interim boss. Fletcher threw academy wonderkid Shea Lacey into the mix, and the 18-year-old almost won the game for the 20-time English league champions. He made an instant impact, running beyond his marker from the right flank before cutting in and unleashing a curling effort that Martin Dubravka had no chance to save. Unfortunately for Lacey and United, the shot hit the crossbar. The Carrington graduate was certainly not shot-shy, as he attempted another long-ranger in added time. Fletcher was effusive in his praise This time the shot flew just wide as the final whistle soon rang. The cameo had Fletcher and club legends purring. “I said to him, stay wide and go and do what you do, and he did that,” said Fletcher after the game. “I know he’s gonna make an impact. He’s creative. He’s got goals in him. CategoryStatistic Goals0 Expected Goals (xG)0.05 Assists0 Expected Assists (xA)0 Total Shots2 Shots on Target0 Hit Woodwork1 Shots Blocked0 Touches7 Unsuccessful Touches1 Dribbles (Successful)0 (0) Possession Lost1 Key Passes0 Crosses (Accurate)0 (0) Accurate Passes3/3 (100%) Passes in Opposition Half (Acc.)2/2 (100%) Passes in Own Half (Acc.)1/1 (100%) Defensive Contributions1 Tackles (Won)1 (1) Interceptions0 Clearances0 Blocked Shots0 Ground Duels (Won)1 (1) Dribbled Past0 match stats via sofascore “He’s exciting, he’s direct, he’s fearless, and he hit the crossbar, and he had another shot, so he had a really bright game.” Gary Neville even inquired as to why United did not use him more often, indirectly taking a dig at Amorim’s reluctance to utilise academy stars. “Where’s he been? You wouldn’t like to give him another if you were Burnley.” Time for Shea Lacey to kick on During his 12-minute cameo, the Liverpool-born attacker completed 100% of his passes, while winning all his tackles and duels (all stats via sofascore). To have the confidence to express himself like this, that too on his second senior appearance shows what a talent the club have on their hands. Insiders at the club have always known that Shea Lacey is a superstar-in-the-making. Injuries had slowed down his progress, but hopefully, we will see more of him in the weeks to come. “I’m pleased for him because there have been a lot of injuries in recent years, and he’s not really got going with his momentum, but we know the talent that he’s got, and he’ll be a big part of Manchester United’s future. I’ve no doubts about that,” Fletcher added. United’s next test is against Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup on Sunday, with Fletcher remaining in charge. Hopefully, we will continue to see more brave football and more youngsters thrown into the mix. Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25