Manchester United youngster Shea Lacey shared a heartfelt message on social media after he made his first team debut.
Manchester United academy graduate Shea Lacey made his first-team debut on Sunday in United’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa.
Lacey joined United’s academy in 2015 at just eight years old. Since playing for the Reds, the 18-year-old has had a successful youth career, being a regular pick for England youth teams.
Although the winger only made 13 academy appearances in the 2024/25 season, he was still able to impress Ruben Amorim and earned himself a seat on the plane during United’s pre season tour in Asia.
The youngster obviously has impressed the Portuguese head coach since then too, with the manager calling upon him in the 84th minute at Villa Park, making his debut alongside fellow academy graduate Jack Fletcher.
“A dream come true” for Lacey
Despite the game ending in a 2-1 loss, Lacey took to Instagram after the game expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to play for his dream club.
Lacey captioned the post, “A dream come true making my Premier League debut for Man Utd thank you to everyone who has helped me get to his point hopefully more to come.”
The youngster received comments from other United players, with the likes of Joshua Zirkzee and Tyrell Malacia sending support to the teenager.
The Reds’ usual starting right winger, Bryan Mbeumo, is out of action until the middle of January, currently representing his home nation of Cameroon at AFCON, which means Amorim is left having to call upon other players to appear in his squad.
With Lacey’s Instagram post confirming his happiness at the club, fans are excited to see what Lacey can bring to United going forward.
Is Lacey now a constant on matchdays?
United face Newcastle on Boxing Day in their penultimate game of 2025, and another opportunity for Lacey to play in attack is on the cards.
Manuel Ugarte’s form has been heavily criticised this season, and Sunday’s game was no exception, causing talks to emerge of who will take his place in midfield during their next fixture.
With Kobbie Mainoo injured, Amorim could turn to Mason Mount to play in midfield, a move that may lead to Lacey having another opportunity to come on in attack, as there would be one less option to play in that forward line.
This provides Lacey with the perfect chance to once again prove himself to the United coaching staff and hopefully secure himself a common place within the first team rotation.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 14:00 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.