Manchester United's new Foden joins England training, could make debut this season! Sir Lawrence places high hopes on youth academy

Manchester United's 18-year-old talented winger Shea Lacey was summoned by the national team manager Thomas Tuchel and took part in the England senior squad training this Wednesday. Recently, Lacey was also brought into the first-team training group by Red Devils' coach Ruben Amorin.

Lacey is not the sole young player joining the England squad; Raquel Samuel and Harrison Murray-Campbell have also been called up. Samuel is a Manchester City player currently on loan to an English League Two club, while Murray is a defender from Chelsea.

Players from England's various youth levels are often invited to train with the senior team to boost training numbers. At the last European Championship, Manchester United's third goalkeeper Tom Heaton was also called into Gareth Southgate's training camp to assist as a practice player.

Lacey surely hopes this won't be his last time training under the England national coach, but first, he must break into Manchester United's first team to have a real chance of being selected for the "Three Lions." Over the past two years, injuries have hindered his development.

However, Lacey has long been valued by Manchester United's youth system; he was once compared to Messi and later to Rooney, as both come from Merseyside. Many in the Lacey family, including his parents, support Liverpool, yet he has been a staunch Manchester United fan since childhood.

In 2024, when he turned 17, Lacey signed his first professional contract with Manchester United. On the national stage, he has represented England at every youth level starting from under-15s. Recently, expectations around him have lowered, with his comparison template shifting to Manchester City's Phil Foden.

In October 2023, Lacey suffered a thigh muscle tear and only returned to action in March last year. During the 2024/25 season, he faced another injury and only fully recovered earlier this year. He missed the Youth FA Cup and appeared just five times in the Premier League U18 league, scoring twice and providing two assists.

This season, Lacey has played four times for Manchester United U21, scoring two goals. Recently, in the English League Cup match against Lincoln City, he completed his first full 90 minutes since his 2023 injury. Earlier this month, he was called up to the England U20 national youth team, marking his first international appearance in two years.

Amorin and the Manchester United first-team players are impressed by Lacey's skills, with former captain Maguire personally helping the youngster adapt to life in the senior squad. Lacey is expected to make his debut during the Christmas and New Year fixtures around late December, when key right-wing players like Mbemou, Amad Diallo, and Mazraoui will be away for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe emphasized this week his desire to revive the club's youth academy. "Manchester United's youth academy has indeed declined. You need an academy continuously producing talent. This helps the club solve financial issues, but it cannot be fixed overnight. The problems with the academy are not solved in a day; it takes time. We have just appointed a new academy director."

The person Ratcliffe referred to is Stephen Tope, who replaced Nick Cox, now Everton's technical director. Tope has worked closely with Manchester United's sporting director Jason Wilcox, who pushed for this appointment. However, some insiders question why so many former Manchester City officials have been recruited by Manchester United.

Nevertheless, one recent decision by Ratcliffe's English management team drew criticism from youth development supporters. Due to ongoing upgrades at Carrington's youth training facilities, Manchester United's U21 and U18 teams were not allowed to use the newly opened £50 million first-team training center. Instead, they were temporarily placed in small huts in the players' parking lot! Previously, the youth teams' locker rooms were close to the first team’s, but Ratcliffe canceled this setup, aiming to restore traditional arrangements, reportedly to make the first-team facilities a coveted area that young players aspire to enter.