Rio Ferdinand has explained why one ‘confident’ Manchester United star has a different mentality to his teammates.
Manchester United are in a difficult situation right now after the club decided to sack Ruben Amorim as the head coach.
Michael Carrick will come in as the caretaker boss for the rest of the season and there needs to be a major reaction to ensure that European qualification is secured for next term.
One of the few positives from the last two games, despite neither being wins, was the performances from Shea Lacey.
The teenager looked bright in both of his cameos and even though he was naive against Brighton and received a red card, Owen Hargreaves stated he was United’s best player on the night.
Ferdinand: Why ‘confident’ United star has different mentality
Lacey has quickly proven in less than 45 minutes of game-time that he is able to contribute for United’s first-team on a regular basis.
His confidence on the ball is clear and he has the ability to make the difference in the final third. Rio Ferdinand has also highlighted another quality of the winger’s which is useful.
The ex-defender has explained how Lacey does not have ‘deep scars’ like the rest of the squad as he has not been involved in the previous failed teams. He is one of the only players who has a ‘free mindset’ on the pitch.
“Do you know the thing about him which jumps out to me? He’s confident and got belief in his ability, and he’s got bundles of ability because we’ve been watching him for a couple of years now in the youth academy,” Ferdinand began on his YouTube channel.
“But he’s the only one when you see him out there, he doesn’t have deep scars of regimes before, of past managers, he’s just come in and he doesn’t have any of that baggage.
“He doesn’t have all of that in his mind, his mindset is free of all that and he’s just come in clear going, ‘I just need to play well’, and that’s a breath of fresh air.
“There isn’t any hiding or thinking, ‘I don’t want to make a mistake’. He’s out there thinking, ‘give me the ball, I just want to do something, I don’t know what it is but get me the ball and I’ll do something’.
“And when he gets it, he does look a threat. I hope he doesn’t get pushed back into the Under-21s when Mbeumo and Amad come back. It will be interesting to see what they do with him.”
Lacey’s mentality is useful
Ferdinand is right that Lacey has shown that he plays without fear, and that isn’t uncommon for talented academy players coming into the first-team.
Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho were the same when they started playing for United. It was also the case when Marcus Rashford burst onto the scene under Louis van Gaal.
The inexperience of an academy player is an underrated trait. They have nothing to lose. It can sometimes be a negative, like with Lacey’s red card on the weekend, but there are many more positives from it.
United have many players who look scared when things get tough and while you need experienced professionals to get over the line, the team could also do with that youthful excitement and unpredictability.
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