Ireland U21 international Jacob Devaney scored his first senior goal for Manchester United in a 5-0 friendly win over Rosenborg on Friday evening.
Manager Michael Carrick is without any of the United stars who played at the World Cup, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, and runner-up Lisandro Martinez all on leave for another few weeks, at least.
That gave several fringe players a chance to line out, and four academy products scored in a resounding win in Trondheim.
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Irish-eligible Shea Lacey opened the scoring with a tidy curled finish, before senior player Joshua Zirkzee made it 2-0 with a cheeky goal preceded by a series of dummies.
Academy stars Harry Amass and Ethan Williams put some gloss on the scoreline late on, after Ireland youth international Jacob Devaney had scored his first senior goal for United to make it 3-0.
What a moment for Ireland’s Jacob Devaney – his first goal in a Manchester United jersey! ☘️
The Ireland U21 international scored United’s 3rd in a friendly against Rosenborg. What a future he has ahead of him. pic.twitter.com/GtoBfOInxs
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) July 24, 2026
Devaney replaced Mason Mount on the hour mark, on a day when established stars like Luke Shaw, Patrick Dorgu, and Bryan Mbeumo lined out in a United side captained by Harry Maguire.
The English-born midfielder was hugely impressive for the second pre-season game running, and took his goal tidily after a goalmouth scramble, just two minutes after coming off the bench.
Jacob Devaney scores for Manchester United
Devaney spent the back half of last season on loan at St Mirren, having starred for the Manchester United U21s in the first part of the campaign.
He quickly became a fan favourite in Scotland, with his performance in his first game instantly winning over the St Mirren faithful.
Evidently, they have impressed Michael Carrick, too. Another loan move looks like for Devaney to continue his development, but there could yet be more chances coming in pre-season for the Irishman.
Carrick was full of praise for Devaney after his performance in a friendly defeat to Wrexham last week, and gave the Ireland underage star a deserved chance to back up that praise in Norway on Friday.
At full-time in Trondheim, Carrick once again praised Devaney and his fellow United youngsters for moving up a gear when given another chance.
“That’s the best place to be as a footballer, when you’re in that zone and you’re confident, and that’s that’s my job to try and get the players in that frame of mind,” Carrick said post-match in Norway.
The senior players at this stage, they’re finding their way, but you can see they’re in a good place and kind of getting used to having good results over a period of time, which is good.
The young players who came on in the second half were fantastic. They played together, showed real quality and fully deserved their reward.
The younger players, when you see them expressing themselves and being themselves and keep pushing themselves to be better, I think some of the play in the second half was really, really good, and I was delighted to see that from them.
They’ve all got potential in different ways, and you want them to fulfil it and keep pushing themselves, and they certainly did that.
Evidently, United’s academy products are impressing Michael Carrick massively, and they may feel emboldened to make a push for a place in the squad when the Premier League season begins next month.
Should Devaney make his full debut this season, he will be the first Irishman to play for Manchester United since Robbie Brady in October 2012.
Born in Barnsley, Devaney has represented Ireland at both U19 and U21 level, underlining his commitment to the Irish badge.
Devaney’s father, Martin, shared his delight on social media after his son’s first goal for Manchester United.
Get in ❤️💪👏⚽️ https://t.co/JDrdpxiofC
— Martin Devaney (@Martindevaney1) July 24, 2026
Martin’s parents hail from Dublin and Ballina, and Devaney Sr hoped to represent Ireland during his own playing career, which saw him line out for Watford, Barnsley, and Bohemians, among others.
Another Irish-eligible star was present on the bench, as the highly-rated JJ Gabriel was named in a senior Manchester United squad for the first time at just 15 years of age.
Any of Gabriel, Devaney, or Shea Lacey could end up lining out for Ireland at senior level. However, while Devaney looks likely to don a green jersey at international level, it looks more likely that Gabriel and Lacey will opt to represent England.
Irish fans could get a chance to watch the trio in action alongside senior Manchester United stars when Michael Carrick’s side face Leeds United at Croke Park in their penultimate pre-season friendly on Wednesday, August 12th.