Ben Fleming
Published January 11, 2026 7:51pm
Updated January 11, 2026 7:52pm
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Shea Lacey had an Old Trafford debut to forget (Picture: Getty)
Darren Fletcher defended Shea Lacey following his sending off against Brighton and insisted the Manchester United academy graduate is ‘one of our most exciting young prospects’.
Lacey enjoyed a bright seven-minute cameo off the bench in Fletcher’s first game in charge against Burnley in midweek, and was thrown on again against Brighton as United hunted a late comeback in their FA Cup third-round tie.
But the 18-year-old’s first senior appearance at Old Trafford ended prematurely after the winger was sent off having received two yellow cards in quick succession.
Lacey was late into a challenge on Brajan Gruda in the 87th minute before being shown his second yellow just two minutes later for dissent when he threw the ball away in disgust after a foul on Ferdi Kadioglu.
The United academy graduate was visibly emotional as he made his way down the tunnel at Old Trafford, but Fletcher was keen to defend the 18-year-old, who he feels still has an extremely bright future at the club.
‘Shea Lacey’s yellow card is ridiculous compared to the fouls that we had against us all game which ultimately then the lad makes a mistake and is sent off,’ United’s caretaker boss told TNT Sports after his side’s 2-1 loss.
‘For me it is poor refereeing.’
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Lacey was sent off after two yellow cards in two minutes (Picture: Getty)
Asked about how Lacey was doing, Fletcher added: ‘He’s disappointed because he cares and he understands and he knows he will learn from it.
‘There is no doubt about his talent and it was a steep learning curve today but we believe in Shea.
‘He’s one of our most exciting young prospects and I’m sure at Old Trafford he will have a chance to make amends for that in the future.’
Danny Welbeck’s strike helped knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup (Picture: Getty)
United’s FA Cup defeat realistically ends any hope of silverware for the Red Devils this season, and Fletcher conceded that his players were too ‘fragile’ after going behind.
‘We started OK and then the goal knocked the stuffing out of us,’ he added.
‘I challenged them at half-time to move the ball with tempo instead of just composure.
‘When we got back to 2-1 I thought here we go, the crowd was up, the energy was up but we couldn’t get it over the line and get an equalising goal.
Darren Fletcher defended Lacey after his sending off (Picture: Getty)
‘I think you could see the players are fragile but they’ve got to respond. Confidence is one of the most powerful things in football so when you don’t have it, you have to dig deep and then the confidence comes back.
‘It’s over to them, they need to make sure that they have got a lot to play for this season. This team is still good enough to achieve success this season but they have to dig deep.’
Sunday’s defeat to Brighton is likely to be Fletcher’s last as caretaker, with United poised to make an interim appointment in the coming days.
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And the former United midfielder is hopeful that a new face can get fans back on side and help the Red Devils as they look to secure a top-six league finish and a return to European football.
‘Out of cups, only Premier League games to play for, the fans weren’t happy at the end but they have got every right to air their grievances,’ he said.
‘It wasn’t toxic but they showed their disappointment. I’m sure if the payers show the right reaction, the fans will get behind them like they always do because there is still a lot to play for in the Premier League this season.’
United are back in league action next weekend as they face arch-rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford.
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