Shea Lacey appears a whisker away from breaking into the first team picture at Manchester United.Fans got a glimpse of the 19-year-old’s talent last winter, when the AFCON-related absences of Amad and Bryan Mbuemo saw Lacey featured in 10 matchday squads from the end of November 2025 to early January 2026. He made his first-team debut under Ruben Amorim late in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, before nearly scoring a goal-of-the-season contender in a 2-2 draw against Burnley on January 7.His talent has rarely been in question. Left-footed, skilled at dribbling and clever when shooting or creating, he has plenty of tools needed to become the sort of flying winger United fans have long adored. But time and again, Lacey — United’s 256th academy graduate to feature for the senior team — has been on the verge of establishing himself as one of the club’s most promising talents, only for injury (he has dealt with shoulder, thigh and ankle issues in the past) and other misfortune to curb his momentum.Caretaker manager Darren Fletcher would give the teenager the better part of 30 minutes to impress during United’s FA Cup third-round tie against Brighton & Hove Albion on January 11, only for him to receive a late double booking and subsequent suspension. Yet he remained with the first team for the rest of 2025-26, retaining his place in first-team training under Michael Carrick and his coaching staff and needing dispensation to play in particular academy games.A calf injury would see him miss games between February and early March, but he would return to the first-team picture for the club’s final game against Brighton, adding another 30 minutes to his Premier League account.This season should see Lacey take the next step in his United career. This is a potential rising star in a squad preparing itself to compete on four fronts and make deep runs into all three cup competitions.Lacey featured in five of United’s six matches across the pre-season tour, with his performances earning plaudits from both Noussair Mazraoui and Harry Maguire in interviews with club media. Capable of playing as a No 10 or as a right-winger, Lacey is fond of beating opposition defenders with a quick drop of the shoulder before attacking the right half-space. A goal in United’s 5-0 victory over Rosenborg BK on July 24 demonstrated his strengths inside the opposition penalty area.This is a footballer most dangerous when given space to run in behind defences. He’s capable of applying the sort of power and curve to shots that can leave goalkeepers spitting feathers.Lacey would feature primarily as a No 10 in the first three matches of the tour, before moving over to the right after the return of Bruno Fernandes and other senior figures from World Cup duties and recuperation. The Liverpool-born youngster showed quick feet and good balance when going up against Atletico Madrid’s tough-tackling defenders on August 1. It was his attacking trickery that would force Jorge Castillo into a defensive error in the second half, giving away a penalty that Mbeumo would convert in a 2-1 win.Pre-season would see Lacey team up with the Cameroon international on numerous occasions throughout games, with the teenager able to find Mbeumo with crosses delivered with his right from wider areas.Unlike many wingers his age, Lacey does not need to constantly cut inside onto his stronger foot to swing in crosses from the half-spaces.It’s an attacking duo that Carrick could turn to towards the end of specific games in 2026-27, especially if Mbeumo is to continue to deputise for Benjamin Sesko as one of the club’s centre-forward options; then that could open up potential playing time for Lacey to rotate in as one of Carrick’s options on the right wing.The teenager is similar in height and build to the 5ft8in (1.73m) Amad, but shares the Ivorian’s appetite for pressing opponents high up the field and chasing after loose balls. Lacey is quick to snap into opposition players, looking to deny them space to turn into after they first receive the ball close to their own penalty area. A talented boxer in his younger days, there is a tenacity and bite to Lacey’s off-ball duties that should put him in good stead for the rigours of senior-team football in 2026-27.United will look to retain Lacey for the first half of the season, electing against loaning him out to another club. During a roundtable conversation with journalists in Dublin earlier this month, Carrick described the 19-year-old as part of a young group who — if they keep improving — could have “a part to play at different times of the season”.United fans will hope that this coming season is a campaign in which Lacey can make the leap. He’s a talented youngster who could be the club’s next flying winger.