Manchester United are facing a major issue over the festive period when three key players for Ruben Amorim will become unavailable ahead of the African Cup of Nations.
Bryan Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui are all expected to be called up by Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Morocco respectively for the continental tournament, which is set to begin on December 21st, with the final taking place on January 18th, 2026.
That leaves the Red Devils short of options in attack, and especially on the right-hand side, but it has now emerged that the club have a plan in place which the manager has been working on for several weeks.
Man Utd Want Shea Lacey to Replace Mbeumo
With Man Utd allowing all of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho to leave in the summer, their forward options are relatively limited.
That has led Amorim to look within for a potential solution, and GIVEMESPORT sources have previously revealed that the boss has taken a strong liking to teenage sensation Shea Lacey. The 18-year-old is widely considered to be one of the best young prospects at the club, but a number of injuries have previously hindered his development.
However, this season the attacking midfielder has taken steps to overcome that, and his performances with the academy have seen him called into first-team training on a number of occasions.
Now, the Daily Mail report that is part of a bigger plan to hand the youngster his first-team debut at Man Utd during the December-January window where Mbeumo and Amad won’t be available, as his preferred position is as an attacking midfielder playing from the right.
Amorim and Lacey have held several one-to-one conversations in recent weeks about his development and his role in the squad, and it’s believed that the club have been mapping out his potential debut to him.
An incredibly talented forward, Lacey, who has been described as ‘a special talent’, has featured eight times for the academy this season in the Premier League 2, EFL Trophy and Premier League International Cup, where he has scored twice and registered two assists. He has also been a regular for the England youth teams during his career, representing the Three Lions at Under 15, 16, 17 and 20 level.
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