Shea Lacey now trains with the Man Utd first team while still playing for the Under-21s and the club had a decision to make on his plans for the week.
Shea Lacey of Manchester United in action during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion on January 11, 2026 in Manchester, England.
Shea Lacey is now a regular in first-team training with Manchester United(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Shea Lacey will be available for Manchester United Under-21s when they face Real Madrid at Old Trafford on Tuesday, after the teenage winger was left out of a first-team training camp near Dublin.
Adam Lawrence's young charges have a date with the Spanish giants' youngsters tomorrow, with the fixture the quarter-final of the Premier League International Cup. With United without a first-team date for so long, the game has been moved from Leigh Sports Village to Old Trafford.
But the fixture clashes with a first-team training camp across the Irish Sea. Michael Carrick's squad flew to Dublin on Monday and will remain in Ireland until Thursday as they look to step up preparations for the game against Leeds next week.
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United have a 24-day break between the draw with Bournemouth and the fixture against Daniel Farke's side, and the camp near Dublin will allow them to step up training intensity.
Lacey is now considered a regular in first-team training, with his performances earning him a promotion. He featured in both of Darren Fletcher's games as caretaker boss in January, but he has continued to play for the Under-21s, registering an assist in wins against Reading and Leeds in the Premier League 2 recently.
Speaking last week, Lawrence revealed he would have to speak to Carrick before discovering if he would have Lacey available for the game against Real.
"Ah, I'd have to try and sweet-talk Michael," he said. As a coach, you want to have Shea available for as many games as possible. But at the same time, what he's doing with the first team at the moment is really, really good and beneficial for him.
"I think more importantly for next week, we'll just be looking ahead to what the first-team involvement is and then look at which players will be available in the games."
Lawrence revealed that Lacey was now training with the senior side on a regular basis as United look to nurture his talent in the best possible way.
"Shea is quite a unique case that you don't see a lot because he's always had a higher level, like elite technical levels," he said.
"He's been a later developer physically. So with the physical side of the game, those players need more time and patience. This period has been really critical for Shea because he's been consistently with the first team.
"So on a day-to-day basis, Shea will train with the first team, basically follow their programme and then obviously be topped up with Under-21 games when he needs to be playing."
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