Are you watching, Michael Carrick?! Man Utd wonderkid Shea Lacey hits stunning hat-trick in Premier League 2 clash

Despite Ruben Amorim often overlooking academy starlets during his ill-fated reign at Old Trafford, it was the Portuguese tactician that gave Lacey his debut in December 2025. He stepped off the bench towards the end of a 2-1 Premier League defeat to Aston Villa.

His potential was proving impossible to ignore and the departure of Amorim early in 2026 opened up more doors for the Merseyside native. U18 boss Darren Fletcher was promoted to interim head coach.

Having worked with Lacey in the youth ranks, Fletcher was eager to give the youngster more opportunities to impress. He figured again as a substitute as United were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw by Burnley at Turf Moor.

While Fletcher’s side struggled as a collective there, Lacey’s bright cameo showed supporters what he is capable of - with the crossbar being struck at one stage. They were excited to see him again in an FA Cup third-round clash with Brighton.

Lacey looked lively in that contest, as his quick feet and boundless energy offered United hope of salvaging a game that was getting away from them, but inexperience told as a moment of petulance saw a red card flashed in the teenager’s direction.

He was booked twice in a matter of minutes, with a second caution being picked up for slamming the ball down in frustration. Fletcher spoke out in support of the talented winger afterwards.

The Scot said of Lacey: “He's disappointed because he cares and he understands and he knows he will learn from it. There is no doubt about his talent and it was a steep learning curve today but we believe in Shea. He's one of our most exciting young prospects and I'm sure at Old Trafford he will have a chance to make amends for that in the future.”

Fletcher added on a dismissal that he believes could have been avoided: “Shea Lacey's yellow card is ridiculous compared to the fouls that we had against us all game which ultimately then the lad makes a mistake and is sent off. For me it is poor refereeing.”

Lacey responded to his red card on social media by saying: “I want to apologise to all of my teammates staff and the fans. I let everybody down tonight I shouldn’t let my emotions get the better of me I will do everything I can to make this right.”

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After serving a suspension, Lacey fell back behind Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo in the pecking order as they returned from Africa Cup of Nations duty. He has, however, been showing at U21 level that no knock to his confidence has been endured.

He has six goals through his last three Premier League 2 appearances, with half of that tally being recorded in one game against West Brom. Lacey opened the scoring in that contest after 11 minutes with a composed finish.

His second of the contest came from a penalty, as he displayed nerves of steel after winning the spot-kick in question, and completed an impressive treble in the 54th minute as he found the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

A resounding 5-1 victory for United has lifted them back to the top of the Premier League 2 table. Lacey is considered to be “too good” for that level of competition, with it time for him to step up into the senior ranks on a permanent basis.

Carrick will be fully aware of what the youngster has to offer, having opened a pathway to the first-team for academy hopefuls - with United’s current coach recently watching Kai Rooney and Co in FA Youth Cup action alongside former team-mate Wayne.

He may, however, find it difficult to make room for stars of tomorrow in his plans for today, with an impressive run of three straight victories - over Manchester City, Arsenal and Fulham - being enjoyed at the start of his tenure.