Manchester United beat Liverpool 2-1 on Sunday evening, ending a nearly 10-year wait for victory at Anfield.
It was a massive performance that could change the tide for Ruben Amorim in his efforts to restore Manchester United to the top of football.
United beating Liverpool 2-1 was the first time Amorim has secured consecutive Premier League wins since taking charge in November 2024.
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Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire claimed the points, with United having multiple winners from the game, with big performances across the pitch.
However, there was one winner who wasn’t even at Anfield.
Shea Lacey in action for Man Utd u21s, black kit.
Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images
Shea Lacey is a big winner for Manchester United after win vs Liverpool
One player who could end up a big winner from United’s season turning around with victory against Liverpool is Shea Lacey, with the wonderkid on the cusp of his first-team debut.
United in Focus revealed last month that United consider Lacey as being first-team ready, although there is reluctance over the current environment simply not being right to integrate youth.
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Bringing youth into a bad situation, with poorly performing senior players and expecting them to cope is far from ideal, and this could explain the lack of academy players involved this season at United.
But, with back-to-back wins, performances improving and the pressure on Amorim lifting, now he might be thinking there is a good chance for Lacey to be involved over the next few weeks.
Lacey is the closest academy talent to debuting for United, having impressed the senior team in training and therefore the increasingly stability and confidence around the team will likely open up a place for him in the squad.
Shea Lacey should make Manchester United bench vs Brighton
While frustrating, it makes sense not to throw 18 year olds into high pressure situations and expect them to win games for the club, which can lead to inflated ego and burnout.
However, on a winning streak and with the senior players performing to a high level there is a real chance that Amorim could choose to start using the academy.
Lacey has been training with the first-team for ages and clearly sits as the best placed wonderkid to step up.
So, this coming weekend against Brighton, with the chance to go three wins on the bounce and four in a row at Old Trafford, Lacey should be on the bench.
Lacey was involved with England’s senior training, which shows how highly rated he is, but now Amorim needs to give him a chance and slowly begin integrating him into the first-team.