Nolan, who previously captained United’s Under-18s, lived with Lacey during their shared time in the academy and remains convinced of the winger’s trajectory despite a mixed start to his senior career. While Lacey suffered a red card on his senior FA Cup debut against Brighton in January, Nolan insists his technical level is already apparent to those within the club. The defender believes that Lacey’s ability to influence games in short cameos mirrors the elite potential seen in players like Yamal.
He added: “Shea is that guy. He’s just got it. He’s playing 10, 15 minutes, but you can see the level he’s at. I’ve played [against] Ethan Nwaneri at Arsenal. You’ve got Myles Lewis-Skelly. Nico O’Reilly, Rico Lewis. And obviously played with Kobbie [Mainoo], played with [Alejandro] Garnacho, played with Shea Lacey.
“There’s been that many where I’ve stepped off the football pitch and thought, ‘You know what? Fair play.’ You know when you’re coming up against someone when with the first touch they just go and do that like with Yamal. It’s just special. I’ve been lucky to play against these players and it’s one of those things where I’ll always remember it and it’s been a brilliant time doing it.”