Manchester United youth team prospect Shea Lacey has been compared to Phil Foden after an impressive cameo against Newcastle U18's on Saturday.
The 15-year-old, who can play anywhere across the attacking line, was one of United's standout performers in this summer's SuperCupNI Junior Champions win against Rangers.
Lacey bagged himself a goal and an assist in the final, and has continued to impress in the academy set-up this season.
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In fact, on Saturday afternoon, the England U16 international earned himself call-up to the U18's squad for their Premier League clash against Newcastle.
After being handed just 15 minutes to impress in the North East, a composed Lacey took his opportunity with both hands, engineering several chances with his quick feet and ability to spot a pass.
Of course, it's early days for the youngster, who has been tipped as one of Manchester United's biggest academy prospects.
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But from what we've seen against Newcastle – as well as other compilations from appearances at this summer's SuperCupNI – the 15-year-old reminds us of a young Phil Foden when he runs with the ball.
Here's a short clip of his outing on Saturday, as well as another compilation from previous appearances in a red shirt.
Here's how social media reacted to Lacey's cameo at the weekend.
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One fan said: "That pass at 40 seconds is exactly how Foden moves his body when making that pass," while another commented: "Bro is legit just a younger Foden you could not point out any differences in how they play."
A third wrote: "I swear this a Phil Foden clone."
Lacey will look up to the likes of academy graduate Alejandro Garnacho, who was awarded his his first senior start by Erik ten Hag last week for their Europa League clash against Sheriff Tiraspol.
United are a club with an incredible record of trusting in youth. In fact, the club's Premier League game against West Ham on Sunday marked the 85th anniversary of having a homegrown player in every squad.
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The club's Head of Academy, Nick Cox, opened up about the record during an interview with Manchester United's official website this week.
“The beauty of the 85-year run is it has been achieved organically,” he says. “It hasn’t been manufactured or, indeed, something we were conscious of (the statistic was only ratified in recent seasons). It’s just the way things are done here.
“No doubt the Academy will make the headlines next week, but the Academy has never and will never develop players on its own. Developing players is the responsibility of everyone. The first-team staff, the board, the ground staff, the media team, the legal team, administrators, and many others. We are lucky to have staff to support us now as they did 85 years ago.
“While we are proud of our history, we are also aware of our duty to continue to uphold our reputation as being innovators and doing things differently in order to bring about success.”
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@academyarenaUTDTopics: Manchester United, Newcastle United, Premier League
