Aha ... Thanks for the context
Shea Lacey | 2025/26 Performances
- Thread starter IrishRedDevil
- Start date
-
In the latest edition of the United Hour Podcast, we interview Duncan Drasdo of MUST - covering ticket prices, new stadium, INEOS and what fans should be demanding from our club.
Also, due to technical issues we couldn't put a notice up for the previous episode which was about the game against Bournemouth and other stuff. If you'd like to listen to it, click here.
Back in training looking at his Insta story. And with the first team I’d guess given 61 on his training clobber
Would be great for him to feature more in the run in
Would be great for him to feature more in the run in
It certainly would. With neither Amad nor Mbeumo firing as they can, he could get a few substitute appearances before the end of the season. I wouldn't bet against him having the decisive say in a game given what we have already seen of the lad. Clearly, one for the future.
Has he been injured? We really lack dynamism off the bench, especially as the injuries have started mounting up. We could really use an option like Lacey in the squad
He does look like a real talent.
What are the chances of playing him as a specialist LW?
What are the chances of playing him as a specialist LW?
I'm hoping he plays for Ireland.
Specialist LW?
Zero chance.
He is a left-footed RW whose most special ability is cutting in to his stronger left foot and bending it into the far post.
It’s hard enough for a kid that age coming into the first team. Playing him anywhere else other than his preferred/usual position just doesn’t make sense.
If he isn't good enough for England, you've got every chance.
I think it's gone out of fashion. It's lost it's prestige.
Players eligible for Ireland wait years hoping for an England call up.
Shea Lacey is very talented but England are stacked in that position.
Also we don't know how good he is until we see him play senior men's football. His level might be Championship or lower PL.
He's chosen England at youth level, and similar to Rooney is from a Scouse family with an Irish grandparent. If he gets to his mid-twenties and isn't close to an England call up then I'm sure he'll magically identify as Irish, but can you name a player who was eligible for both countries, good enough for an England call up, but chose Ireland?
Maybe John Aldridge or Paul McGrath in the 90's...but even then, Aldridge made his debut at 27, McGrath at 25.
That’s Dorgu’s job.
Nobody recently unfortunately.
I think McGrath saw himself as Irish though. Mark Lawrenson would be another but he got capped very young, at 19 I think.
Steve Finnan might be most recent example but we capped him when he was playing in the Championship so I doubt he knew he'd end up winning the CL.
We like to dream about potential Irish teams with Rice, Grealish, Bellingham, Kane etc...
I think footballers know it's far better for their career to get a few caps for England rather than 100 for Ireland.
Micheal Keane for example would have 100 Irish caps but has 12 for England.
He doesn't have toe pace to go round the outside, so pretty much zero.
I keep hearing that he can go on the outside or the inside so that does not make sense!
He can go round the outside OR the inside of the middle, but he's always twirling, twirling, towards victory
Why move a young player trying to break through to the first team away from the position he’s most comfortable in and most dangerous from?
Some people think David Beckham is still a thing.
Ask Roy Keane and Paul Ince that when they first came to the club.
What’s that got to do with anything? They both joined us in big money moves as well established top division players.
Shea Lacey is an 18 year old academy player who is only just breaking through to the very fringes of our first team squad.
Why move a young player trying to break through to the first team away from the position he’s most comfortable in and most dangerous from?
We paid £70mil on a player that specialises in that position and we also have Amad in that position and he is not going to get in front of them which I thought was pretty obvious.
Looks like we will have European football next season so it is possible he could get Cup games on the RW if he is happy with that.
I suggested him playing on the left as it is more likely him getting opportunities there but if that is beyond his skillset then so be it.
What about David O Leary?
He would have been good enough to play for England.
We have Cunha and Dorgu on the left so Lacey can either be third choice in his best position, or third choice in a less favourable position. The former makes far more sense.
And what does any of this have to do with Ince and Keane?
Sounds like we will be sending him on loan then.
Roy Keane played at right back quite often in his early days at Utd and Ince played there on occasion.
Why? We need extra depth in attack because we’ll have so many more games next season.
All I’m saying is that it makes more sense to give him minutes in his preferred position than one he is less comfortable in. I really don’t know how this is even an argument.
Both Ince and Keane did their best work in midfield. So even if this was a meaningful comparison (which it’s not due to the major age and experience difference I pointed out earlier), it still wouldn’t help your argument.
I have already stated that we will have a lot of games next season and if he is happy with the odd Cup game then that is great.
Of course they were better as midfielders as that was why we paid so much money for them but they could adapt to another position when called upon and that was my point.
Is it beyond the realms of possibility that if Dorgu or Cunha were injured that Lacey would find it possible to play on the left side and make a good job of it?
But that only happened when they were much more seasoned players. There’s a massive difference between an 18 year old academy kid just trying to break through to senior football and two 21 year olds who were well established enough to make big money moves. It’s just not a reasonable or meaningful comparison.
This started with you asking what the chances of him playing as a specialist LW are. The answer is not very high, because he is a specialist RW, and so it makes a lot more sense to give him opportunities there.
I will give you Fosu Mensah then and leave it at that.
Google him if you don't know who he is.
I was excited about him for a little while. And there’s really no need for the cheap attempt at condescension.
But two trailer park girls go round the outside , round the outside ?
Guess who’s back?
Don’t understand the debate on left vs right. He’ll get games, we’ll hopefully compete across multiple competitions next season and we’ll need depth.
I’d say all our forward players can (or should be able to) play in any of the front 4 positions aside from Sesko so it’s not a bad thing to have plenty to mix it up with, players aren’t pigeon holed into 1 position.
I’d say all our forward players can (or should be able to) play in any of the front 4 positions aside from Sesko so it’s not a bad thing to have plenty to mix it up with, players aren’t pigeon holed into 1 position.
Backstreet?
Back, alright.
10 games next season should be his goal if he's staying here. If he's not getting close to that by winter send him out on loan. 15+ games would be ideal for his development, but we have to balance that with trying to win games. He's turning 19 this month now he just needs to get games under his belt. He's more than showed that he's too good to be in the academy.