Most youngsters in world football would be delighted to be compared to Kylian Mbappe, and Shea Lacey showered one at Man Utd with that praise.
Man Utd are yet to see the best of Shea Lacey himself, but the youngster has huge expectations of one of his teammates as well.
Mbappe is known for his pace, trickery, and the ability to make the breathtaking look extremely normal, all of which make him a nightmare to defend against.
According to Lacey, one youngster at Carrington has exactly those traits, and he’s starting to show exciting signs now.
Samuel Lusale of Manchester United in action
Photo by Zohaib Alam – MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images
Samuel Lusale is in electric form for Man Utd U18s
Man Utd U18s continued on their dominating ways recently, winning 2-1 against Crystal Palace in the FA Youth Cup semi-final.
Chido Obi and JJ Gabriel scored the goals, James Overy announced himself, while Jim Thwaites pulled the strings from midfield.
However, Samuel Lusale’s electric cameo flew under the radar during this outing, as he came off the bench to bamboozle the Palace defence.
Lusale, signed from Palace in 2024, has been in and out of the academy sides, but has always thrilled the onlookers with his pace, dribbling, and direct style of play.
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Against Palace, he came on like a man on a mission, running at the defence with every opportunity, almost scoring a sensational solo goal with the outside of his foot.
His ability to do the unexpected with the ball, while dribbling at pace, makes him a nightmare to defend against, much like Mbappe.
It goes without saying that he’s far from Mbappe’s level, and it’s not even close, but the raw tools and the way Lusale is starting to put it all together in recent weeks show who he has modelled his game after.
Lacey was onto something when he coined that nickname for him last year.
Lusale should be sent on a European loan
Lusale’s playing style makes it so that he’s likely going to flourish in another European league instead of the English league pyramid, at least until he adds more end product to his game.
He will turn 19 in September, so the next season will be a high time for him to adjust to senior football.
That is unlikely to come at Old Trafford, since he isn’t even a regular for the academy sides, but the raw tools he has should make it impossible for United to write him off.
One season of loan, probably in Germany or France, should do him a world of good as he realises how far he has to go to become a regular in one of the top-five leagues.
Once he adds more work off the ball and physicality to his electric pace and dribbling, the current exciting signs he’s showing will give way to a potentially world-class player.
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