Shea Lacey finally got some Premier League minutes in the abomination that was Man Utd’s 3-0 loss to Bournemouth, but how it happened was embarrassing.
Having chosen to start with Mason Mount on the wing ahead of Shea Lacey, the outlook was already unforgivable for Michael Carrick.
He made it clear with that selection that Lacey is nowhere near his first-team plans, despite the player impressing in this depressing team with his cameos.
However, even when his latest cameo did arrive, how it happened was embarrassing. Lacey deserved better.
Shea Lacey was a pawn in Michael Carrick vs Bruno Fernandes
The general expectation when Bruno Fernandes was dropped from the starting lineup was that it will finally open up the space for Shea Lacey.
That didn’t happen, but it was then deemed likely that Fernandes would still come off the bench.
Carrick didn’t do that either, choosing Lacey ahead of Fernandes in a clear message to the Man Utd captain after his outburst in midweek.
However, the circumstances in which Lacey was introduced ensured that the story of the game became Fernandes’ snub rather than Lacey’s impressive cameo.
Lacey was the final sub of the game, which made it official that Fernandes would not come off the bench vs Bournemouth, with all the cameras tracking the captain on the bench.
Effectively, Lacey was used as a political pawn in the Carrick vs Fernandes debate, when it should have been a moment to empower the youngster and show trust in him.
He could have easily been the sub instead of Zirkzee, with the Dutchman becoming the last man off the bench, but it was a conscious decision by Carrick.
Even if it wasn’t and you give Carrick the benefit of the doubt, it just screams lack of man management and awareness, because it made Lacey a supporting character in his own story.
The youngster deserved better than to be reduced to just a political pawn in the wider game that he has played no part in. It’s just a mess from top to bottom.