Things are looking good at Manchester United right now, but the spectre of AFCON looms large, and Ruben Amorim is now preparing to unleash a wonderkid to tackle it.
Amad and Bryan Mbeumo are increasingly the two attacking hubs of Man Utd, bossing the right wing with an understanding of each other’s game that is forever improving.
Their travels for the Ivory Coast and Cameroon will empty that wing completely for a run of, at most, six fixtures during the busiest part of the season.
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Ruben Amorim has acknowledged that the team will be weaker for their absence, but he’s preparing to unleash a wonderkid in their absence who can find an opportunity in a crisis.
Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty ImagesRuben Amorim’s plan for Shea Lacey’s Man Utd debut
Shea Lacey has been a name that has been spoken about in excited tones at Carrington for a few years now.
Injuries threatened to derail Lacey’s ascent, but after shaking off his most recent issue, Lacey has come back like a man on a mission.
From scoring against senior players to dominating youth football, Lacey is making an undeniable case for a first-team inclusion, which Amorim has taken note of.
Lacey trained with England’s senior team as well, so his profile is already high enough that United could lose him if they don’t show trust in him.
As per The Daily Mail, Amorim is ready to show that trust by planning for his debut when both Mbeumo and Amad leave for AFCON.
Lacey is seen as the ideal left-footed right-sided attacking midfielder to take Mbeumo’s place when AFCON begins on December 21.
The away game against Aston Villa on December 21 will be United’s first game without the dynamic duo, and Lacey can expect to make the bench for that one.
A home debut against Newcastle on Boxing Day is then a realistic prediction for Lacey’s first competitive minutes in a Man Utd shirt.
Bryan Mbeumo and Amad can unlock Lacey
Lacey might get his debut only when Mbeumo and Amad are away, but if he stays injury-free and makes a mark during that run of seven games, it will be the ideal case scenario.
Despite being, theoretically, a competitor of Mbeumo for the right-sided No. 10 position, he couldn’t have asked for a better mentor to learn from.
Like Lacey, Mbeumo is also not the most physically imposing player on the pitch, but he plays like an athletic monster and is a model professional on top that.
The same also goes for Amad, who shrugged off concerns over his physicality to become a wing-back for Amorim, a position that demands the most athleticism.
Lacey is also slight-looking, but he has a combative edge to his game and plays with his heart on his sleeve. The more he learns from Amad and Mbeumo, the better it will be for all parties involved.