After serving a suspension, Lacey fell back behind Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo in the pecking order as they returned from Africa Cup of Nations duty. He has, however, been showing at U21 level that no knock to his confidence has been endured.
He has six goals through his last three Premier League 2 appearances, with half of that tally being recorded in one game against West Brom. Lacey opened the scoring in that contest after 11 minutes with a composed finish.
His second of the contest came from a penalty, as he displayed nerves of steel after winning the spot-kick in question, and completed an impressive treble in the 54th minute as he found the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
A resounding 5-1 victory for United has lifted them back to the top of the Premier League 2 table. Lacey is considered to be “too good” for that level of competition, with it time for him to step up into the senior ranks on a permanent basis.