Two of Manchester United’s exciting young talents have been included in the squad to face Everton amid doubts of Matheus Cunha’s availability.
With the November international break now behind them, Ruben Amorim has turned his attention to preparing Manchester United for Monday night’s clash with Everton.
Despite a shaky start to the campaign, United have found their stride, putting together a five-match unbeaten run and suffering just one defeat in their last seven outings.
A win on Monday could pull the Reds closer to the top four and bring them to within two points of second-placed Chelsea.
Everton, currently 13th, have posted two wins, two losses and a draw in their last five games. Their 2–0 loss to Fulham before the break hasn’t dented their belief, and David Moyes’ squad travel to Old Trafford with confidence.
Two United wonderkids included in squad vs Everton
Amorim has been criticised at times this term for the lack of involvement for academy talent in his teams, with Kobbie Mainoo being the only player from the academy to get any minutes. The midfielder has not started any of United’s Premier League games so far either.
Ahead of the Everton clash, it has been reported by MUFC Academy on X that Shea Lacey and Jack Fletcher have been included in the squad for the night-time game.
The Under-21s duo have both impressed behind-the-scenes, with them both becoming regulars in first-team training at Carrington.
“Guys like Jack Fletcher, Shea [Lacey], they can step up,” Amorim said in his press conference when asked about the impact of players like Amad and Bryan Mbeumo leaving for AFCON next month.
“We can send, at the same time, a message to everyone here in the Academy that this is the future. But we are going to struggle, and we have to be prepared for that.”
This also comes after reports emerged stating that Matheus Cunha suffered a knock to his head in training on Friday. It remains to be seen whether he will be fit enough to play the game.
Amorim ‘really happy’ with Lacey
While it is unlikely that Lacey or Fletcher play in the game, unless United have a commanding lead, their involvement is a step in the right direction.
It is clear that both of them are in Amorim’s plans for when AFCON comes into play and getting them used to the first-team environment on a matchday is important.
Both are exciting talents, but fans will be particularly interested to see how Lacey performs if given the chance in the upcoming weeks.
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The 18-year-old has been one of the most talented academy players for several years now and is finally pushing closer to his debut after several injury setbacks in recent years.
“I’m really happy with him,” Amorim said of the left-footed winger. “I think he struggled a little bit with injuries. He did a very good job balancing his body. You can sense he can manage more load during training.
“He has a lot of talent, but when they come here, they can sense the speed is completely different, so they need to spend more time with us to be prepared because our trainings are hard, but Premier League games with pressure are harder. So, they need to be ready.”
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