Man Utd U21 head coach names one academy star who will be 'top, top player'

Manchester United Under-21s registered a memorable 2-1 victory over arch-rivals Manchester City last week.

The young Red Devils weathered an early storm from the visitors before Chido Obi ruthlessly capitalised on a defensive lapse to open the scoring.

Man City responded in the second half through Reigan Heskey but Amir Ibragimov sealed a crucial victory for United.

The U21 head coach Travis Binnion spoke glowingly about academy star Shea Lacey.

He told Manchester Evening News: “Listen, everybody in the world knows about Shea Lacey.

“So he needs a little bit of fortune, he needs to be patient with himself and everybody else needs to be really patient with him.”

These comments highlight multiple injuries Lacey has faced in his young career.

He added: “Because of time lost with Shea, he still has lots to come tactically, physically and mentally.

“Everybody can see – you have to be blind not to see – the talent he’s got. He’s got lots to do in his game and he knows.

“We’re still managing him physically because if he can stay on the pitch and can train every day, I think everyone thinks he could be a top, top player.”

Shea Lacey has immense potential

The 18-year-old is widely regarded as one of the most gifted players in his age group across the country.

However, persistent injuries have slowed his rise and pushed him down the pecking order at Carrington.

If not for those frustrating fitness issues, many believe he would already be knocking on the first-team door.

The attacking midfielder made his U21 debut against Man City and played a pivotal role in the build-up to the the match-winning goal.

In just 18 minutes of his display, he won five of his six duels, fired a shot on target and made four defensive contributions.

His left foot nearly produced a stunning goal, forcing the goalkeeper into a fingertip save to deny him.

Moments later, he won ball possession and made a darting run down the byline before floating a cross in the build-up to Amir Ibragimov’s goal.

Lacey has primarily operated in the right-wing spot but could also play at the opposite flank and centrally behind a striker.

The focus should be to keep him injury-free this term and help him make up for the lost time on the field.

Stats from Fotmob.com

Article written by Sanidhya Bhardwaj .