United academy wizard was this close to making his first team debut before Amorim pulled the plug – report

The eyes of all Manchester United fans around the world are on Shea Lacey heading into the jam-packed winter period. That is because supporters are eager to see academy wonderkids get their chance in the first team, and the 18-year-old looks closest to break through this campaign. He has been a part of senior training almost weekly, and with Bryan Mbeumo and Amad set to depart for AFCON next month, a spot up top is up for grabs. With Joshua Zirkzee’s future up in the air, and Benjamin Sesko out for a month, surely the England U20 international will be confident of earning his senior debut. Shea Lacey almost made his debut vs Sunderland As per The Daily Mail, the Liverpool-born attacker was this close to making his debut against Sunderland at Old Trafford. He was in consideration to be named in the matchday squad before the head coach pulled the plug at the last minute. “Lacey is the clear frontrunner to make his first-team debut between now and January while Jack Fletcher, whom Amorim likes a lot, is second. “Lacey is understood to have been very close to making the bench for the Sunderland home game, before falling one place short. “But with Mbeumo and Diallo vacating the right side for AFCON, opportunity knocks. And with Wilcox and Amorim taking a hands-on approach to his training and game programme in recent weeks, this one feels imminent.” Multiple EFL clubs are keeping an eye on developments, and are ready to offer a loan arrangement to INEOS. The Red Devils have no intention of accepting any such offer. United won’t loan him out “EFL scouts have been turning up in their droves across recent months, all with different assignments, some often there to watch the same player. “There’s a lot of interest in Shea Lacey but United are not currently entertaining offers for the 18-year-old.” Not only at club level, but the United teen is making waves on the international arena as well. He opened his account for the England U20s recently, and was called up to train with the England senior team and the England U21s. That shows how highly-rated he is, and it is only a matter of time before he finally makes his mark at the Theatre of Dreams. 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