Man Utd fans need hope - and starting Shea Lacey would give Red Devils reason to believe in a brighter future

United went into the clash with Roma looking to snap a dismal nine-match winless run, but made the worst possible start, going 2-0 down inside the first 17 minutes. The Old Trafford faithful threw tennis balls and green and gold balloons onto the pitch in the 21st minute to protest the club's ownership under the Glazer family and INEOS, and booed the players off at the interval when another defeat seemed inevitable.

However, they came out with renewed purpose in the second half to stage a remarkable comeback. Bruno Fernandes halved the deficit after Matheus Cunha won a controversial penalty - albeit only via a retake after the Portuguese midfielder missed his initial spot-kick - and United pushed forward relentlessly thereafter in search of an equaliser.

The final ball was missing, though, until Carrick threw Lacey on for Amad Diallo. Stationed on the right flank, Lacey injected extra directness and energy while showing courage and maturity belying his tender age. He completed two take-ons, posted a 100 percent pass completion rate, and won 75% of his duels, with his tenacity vital in United winning back second balls high up the pitch.

Cunha made it 2-2 after capitalising on a terrible error from Roma defender Leonardo Balerdi, and then grabbed the winner in the 86th minute after a piece of brilliance from Lacey. Mainoo drove forward and fed the ball wide for Lacey, who stepped inside and played a fizzing pass between two Roma players and into Cunha, with the Brazilian able to take it in his stride before firing a thunderous shot in off the post.

The plaudits rightly went to Cunha, despite his subsequent sending off for two quickfire yellow cards, but Lacey's contribution was also massive. Few players would even have seen his decisive pass, let alone been able to execute it so perfectly, and he played with the swagger of someone born for the elite stage.

"We love him to bits, you know," Carrick said when quizzed on Lacey after the game. "He's a great young man; he's got great ability and he's desperate to do well. He's got that little glint in his eye, he plays with a bit of mischief."

The United boss also highlighted Lacey's work at the other end of the pitch, adding: "I was just as happy seeing him defending as a right-back when we needed it. As a rounded footballer you've got to be able to do that. He gave everybody a bit of a lift coming on the pitch. It was fantastic to see, and he made the most of what he had."

Cunha, meanwhile, was eager to steer the spotlight towards Lacey when speaking to MUTV: "Unbelievable, Shea is a young guy. He comes from the academy, and then we saw like the stadium come with him. I feel like they are part of the family, they follow him from the from the beginning, and yeah, we want to help him to to push him to be this player that everyone wants. And yeah, him in the Champions League give the first assist. I feel like to be part of this is something incredible."

Lacey certainly has incredible potential, enough perhaps to even make United supporters quickly get over the impending loss of 16-year-old JJ Gabriel, who is closing in on a move to Real Madrid after deciding to look elsewhere for senior football. There is already a lot of expectation on Lacey's shoulder as he deals with being the club's great new academy hope, but all the early signs suggest he won't allow anything to take him off course.

Lacey signed his first professional contract at United in April 2024, but had to wait until the following December to make his first-team bow, coming on for the final six minutes of a 2-1 home loss to Aston Villa. That was one of four appearances he made last term, with the most memorable one coming in the FA Cup against Brighton, for both good and bad reasons.

The diminutive attacker came on around the hour mark and was the one bright spark for United in otherwise abject display, showing excellent agility and intelligence in the final third. The Red Devils ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat, and the occasion was completely soured for Lacey late on as he was given his marching orders for two bookable offences in the space of three minutes.

As if a suspension wasn't enough, Lacey then suffered a calf injury that stopped him in his tracks. He showed a lot of character to come through that period, making it back for United's final-day win over Brighton in the Premier League, and went on to be one of United's finest performers during pre-season.

There was more than enough evidence on the summer tour to suggest Lacey was ready to step up, including a fine goal in a 5-0 rout of Rosenborg, but Carrick has continued to use him sparingly. Indeed, the England Under-20 international has only seen 22 minutes of action across United's opening nine Premier League fixtures in 2026-27.

We're now at the point where Carrick is being overly cautious. The Red Devils boss did hand Lacey one start in the third round of the Carabao Cup, against Brighton once again, and he marked his full debut with a fantastic goal, finding the bottom corner with a lovely left-foot strike. He constantly demanded the ball and tied the Seagulls in knots with his dribbling, and was very unfortunate to be taken off mid-way through the second half as United blew a two-goal lead to crash out of the competition.

It would be understandable if Lacey was behind an in-form player in the pecking order, but Amad Diallo is anything but. The Ivory Coast international has played 448 minutes across all competitions since returning from an ankle injury in early October, starting all of United's last five games, but only has one assist to his name - which came in a 4-1 Champions League thrashing by Como when the game was already lost.

Amad, who hasn't scored for United since last December, has been a constant source of frustration due to his terrible decision-making and execution in dangerous areas. It was the same old story against Roma, as the 24-year-old failed to register a shot on target or key pass while giving possession away on nine occasions.

Lacey gave the Red Devils what Amad couldn't, as club legend Wayne Rooney said on Amazon Prime when analysing Cunha's winning goal: "It’s all about that first touch [from Lacey], takes the defender out and that pass is incredible. Amad does some really good things, but it’s that end product, that is what takes you to the next level. Lacey has got something in there, that little touch and little pass which United needed to get them over the line in this game."

Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo should be nailed on starters given they are interchangeable on the left flank and through the middle, with Fernandes occupying the No.10 role, and Lacey now deserves a run of games on the right to complete the attack. If they do not all start together against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday, and United fail to win, Carrick will only have himself to blame.

If he's going to save his job, the former midfielder has to take some calculated risks, and unleashing Lacey could pay off ten-fold. This is not a raw, immature prospect with an oversized ego; Lacey has a sensible head on his shoulders and wants nothing more than to prove himself.

After the Roma win, Lacey immediately rejected the suggestion that he is already a "success story of the academy", replying in a humble tone to an MUTV reporter: "Not yet. We're building towards it and it's going well - nights like this definitely help. But there's still a long way to go."

That's exactly the attitude United's legendary academy jewels had. Now is the time for Lacey to follow in their footsteps.