“Michael has already said to me…“: Adam Lawrence explains Carrick’s refreshing approach to youth development ?

Manchester United’s Under-21 lead coach Adam Lawrence has praised caretaker manager Michael Carrick for his handling of the academy since taking charge. The English manager was identified as the short-term replacement for former head coach Ruben Amorim, who was relieved of his duties at the turn of the year. Carrick has been placed on the hot seat at Old Trafford until the end of the season, when a permanent appointment is expected. However, the Englishman has been outstanding so far, prompting talk of a possible full-time stay. The Red Devils have won seven of their 10 Premier League games under the former midfielder, drawing two others, and now sit third in the league table after 31 games. Carrick has managed to get the team firing on all cylinders and has also displayed greater involvement with the academy during his short tenure compared to Amorim’s chaotic reign. Michael Carrick Managerial Stats TeamFromToGames PlayedGames WonGames DrawnGames LostWin % Manchester United (caretaker)21 November 20212 December 2021321066.7 Middlesbrough24 October 20224 June 202513663244946.3 Manchester United13 January 2026Present1072170.0 Total——14972275048.3 Source: Transfermarkt. Several academy graduates have trained with the first-team squad so far this season, including the highly rated Shea Lacey. Lawrence has now shed light on the youngster’s integration into the senior side. Lacey training regularly with senior side Lacey broke into the senior side under Amorim, although his progress was briefly halted after receiving a red card in the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in January under interim manager Darren Fletcher. The 18 year old is yet to feature under Carrick, although he was on the bench for the game against Fulham. Academy players regularly shift between the first team and the Under 21s in training, but speaking recently, as cited by The Daily Mail, Lawrence revealed that Lacey is an exception. He said: “So, day to day, Shea will train with the first team, basically follow their programme and then obviously be topped up with Under 21 games when he needs to be playing.” “Shea is quite a unique case that you don’t see a lot of within the game because he’s always had a higher level, like an elite technical level. He’s been a later developer physically. So it’s not always an easy case with that type of player because they can do things with the ball, which are, without getting too carried away, like first team level, genuinely.” “But then in terms of the physicality and the physical side of the game, they need more time and patience. So again, this period has been really critical for Shea in terms of being consistently with the first team.” Lacey played a key role in the Under-21s’ 2-1 win over Leeds United on Friday. High praise for Carrick Carrick has taken an interest in the academy since his arrival and has also attended academy games. Lawrence went on to praise the former midfielder for maintaining a balance between the academy and the first team. He added: “Of course, as a coach you want to have Shea available for as many games as possible. But at the same time, what he’s doing with the first team at the moment is really, really good and beneficial for him.” “Michael [Carrick] has been really, really supportive and he understands in terms of the marquee games for the academy and the ones that he and the club feels are really, really good to be involved in. They would obviously support [that] but obviously not at the expense of what the first team are doing or their programme.” “But Michael has already said to me last week, I had a short conversation just around the programme next week for the 21s and the games and the opportunities and basically the first team supporting that. So that message coming from him is obviously really good.” Final Thoughts Carrick’s understanding of the club’s ethos and values certainly makes him a fine fit for the permanent job. However, INEOS are unlikely to rush an appointment, given United’s poor record with managers in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Featured image Warren Little 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 Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.