Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has said that Shea Lacey is "ready to play", with the 18-year-old in the plans of the Portuguese moving forward.
The recent absences of Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko have allowed Lacey to be in the matchday squad for the Premier League games with Everton and Crystal Palace.
The teenager is yet to make his first-team debut, though, and Cunha's return for Thursday's Premier League clash with West Ham United could mean that Lacey drops out of the first-team squad.
Lacey is regarded as one of the best talents in the Man United academy, and Amorim has insisted that the youngster will "have the chance" to make his mark.
"Try to explain every day how to play, if you're comfortable and don’t have any doubts when you are playing that will help the kids," Amorim told reporters when questioned on the attacker.
© Imago / ZUMA Press Wire
Man United head coach Amorim: 'Lacey will have the chance'
"Then to work the physicality, the speed of the pressure, the moments to have the ball and pass the ball is completely different to U21s. He’ll have the chance, I don’t know, but he’s ready to play."
Lacey has scored seven goals and registered seven assists in 32 appearances for Man United Under-18s, while he has three goals and two assists in nine outings for the Under-21s.
Injuries have stalled Lacey's career, but he was involved in Man United's two friendlies at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, and Amorim is a known admirer of the attacker.
Man United's head of player development Travis Binnion has said that Lacey is benefitting from training with the first team.
"Training with first team is massive," Binnion told Inside Carrington. "Shea is going through a period now where that is more important than games. The previous month, the games were important to get that body of matches and build his confidence."
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Will Lacey leave Man United on loan in January?
Man United are currently in the process of firming up their loan plans for January, with Chido Obi, Ayden Heaven and Diego Leon potentially all being allowed to spend the second half of the 2025-26 campaign away from Old Trafford to aid their development.
There is a chance that Lacey could also be allowed to depart in the winter, but it does appear that there could be some first-team involvement for the talented attacker this term, so it would not be a surprise to see him kept at Old Trafford.