Manchester United's 18-year-old attacking prodigy, Shea Lacey, is inching closer to a permanent spot in the senior squad, with under-21 manager Adam Lawrence praising the teenager's "elite technical level."
Lacey has essentially become a full-time fixture in the first-team training setup, participating in daily sessions with the senior squad while dropping down to the under-21s for crucial match minutes.
"Shea is quite a unique case," Lawrence explained. "He can do things with the ball which are, without getting too carried away, genuinely first-team level. But he's been a later developer physically, so players like that need more time and patience."
The highly-rated England Under-20 international has already tasted senior football this season. After featuring as an unused substitute four times, he was handed his senior debut by Ruben Amorim during December's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa. Lacey then made two appearances under interim manager Darren Fletcher, enjoying a lively cameo against Burnley before experiencing a harsh learning curve in the FA Cup against Brighton. In that fixture, a moment of frustration after conceding a free-kick earned him a second yellow card and a subsequent one-match suspension.
However, United's coaching staff view the dismissal—for which the teenager publicly apologized—as a crucial stepping stone in his ongoing development.
Since Michael Carrick took the managerial reins in January, Lacey has appeared on the senior bench just once. Yet, his phenomenal form at the youth level cannot be ignored. Shaking off a recent calf injury, the forward has netted six goals in his last three under-21 outings, bringing his Premier League 2 tally to an impressive eight goals in nine appearances.
Lawrence is now hoping to "sweet talk" Carrick into allowing Lacey to feature in Tuesday's Premier League International Cup quarter-final against Real Madrid at Old Trafford, rather than having him travel to Dublin for the senior team's four-day training camp.
Carrick, who has been a frequent spectator at academy fixtures, is reportedly highly supportive of managing the youngster's transition carefully.
"Shea has had one or two little niggles that have disrupted his rhythm a little bit, but he's definitely someone the club is really excited about," Lawrence noted. "We do believe he is a player that can fully transition into the first team eventually."