Shea Lacey has showed the fearlessness Man United need to lift themselves out of the mire. It's time for misfiring Amad Diallo to be dropped for the teenager - and it could be the making of both players, writes NATHAN SALT

Ruben Amorim, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Michael Carrick can’t all be wrong when it comes to Amad Diallo’s unrelenting desire to fulfil his potential.

‘Amad is such a dream to work with,’ Carrick said last season. ‘His attitude is so positive. He wants to learn, he wants to keep pushing.

‘He asks for more – “what can I do more?” or “how can I improve?” He is desperate to do well and has been a huge part of the team.’

Amorim and Van Nistelrooy spoke similarly of Amad’s thirst for extra work and personal development. Nobody inside Carrington denies how much Amad wants to be great.

But there comes a point where an attacking player simply must score goals. And Amad doesn’t do that. It’s the elephant in the room that people seem uncomfortable talking about.

It is now 324 days and counting since Amad scored a goal of any kind for United, dating back to December 15, 2025, in a 4-4 draw at home to Bournemouth.

Amad Diallo struggled to make an impact against Roma on Tuesday night. It is now 324 days and counting since he last scored a goal for Man United

The best thing for Amad right now would be to take him out of the side, sit him down, and have some honest conversations as to how a player so talented has seen his trajectory plateau at 24

Go back further and, since bagging a hat-trick at Old Trafford against Southampton on January 16, 2025, the same month he was rewarded with a bumper five-year contract, Amad has managed just four goals and five assists in 43 Premier League games.

This season the docket reads no goals and one assist in all competitions, with the latter his pass to Joshua Zirkzee in Como for United’s late consolation in a 4-1 defeat.

Amad likes to do a lot of talking on Instagram – after the 3-2 win over Roma he not-so-subtly posted ‘They're petty and hateful – they'll always have something to say’ – but with Shea Lacey clipping at his heels, he needs to start doing his talking on the pitch.

Since Amad last scored against Bournemouth in December 2025, Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo have both scored nine goals, Benjamin Sesko has 11 and Matheus Cunha, the hero against Roma, has 12.

Amad, through 24 games under Carrick, has delivered zero goals and two assists. It’s simply not good enough.

‘The best years of his career are ahead of him, and we all look forward to helping Amad to reach his immense potential and achieve success at the club in the coming seasons,’ director of football Jason Wilcox said of the winger when he penned his new contract last year.

The truth is, the best thing for Amad right now would be to take him out of the side, sit him down, and have some honest conversations as to how a player so talented has seen his trajectory plateau at 24.

Which is where Lacey, magnificent off the bench and the orchestrator of Cunha’s winning goal last night, comes into all of this.

Shea Lacey's cameo against Roma changed the game and had his boss Michael Carrick purring. 'He gave everybody a bit of a lift coming on the pitch,' said Carrick

Lacey inspired the crowd, and his team-mates. His unpredictability had Roma dazed

The 19-year-old scored earlier this season in the Carabao Cup exit to Brighton and has largely been given a watching brief since.

But back under the lights at Old Trafford against Roma, he put in a performance that not only helped take United past their Italian opponents, but one that really ought to take Lacey ahead of Amad when it comes to Carrick's thinking for the team to face Aston Villa on Sunday.

Not only because of the incisive pass to Cunha that led to the winner, but the invention, the daring, the trickery that should have won United a penalty – an inexplicable decision after Lacey was hacked down – and the rest. It was, in Carrick’s own words, a performance full of ‘mischief’.

Lacey, born in Liverpool but a United fan, is a product of the club's famed academy. He has played for England through the age groups up to Under-20s but has yet to start a League match for the Old Trafford club, his only appearance from the first whistle coming in the 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Brighton.

‘I'm not going too over the top, but at the same point I’m absolutely delighted for Shea,’ Carrick said. ‘We love him to bits. He's a great young man, he's desperate to do well, he's got great ability and so in terms of coming inside and finding the pass, that's not surprising.

‘He's got that little glint in his eye, he plays with a bit of mischief if you like, so he's always looking to have that.

‘I think he gave everybody a bit of a lift coming on the pitch, and it was fantastic to see. He made the most of what he had tonight.’

That’s exactly what Lacey did. He lifted the crowd, his team-mates. His unpredictability had Roma dazed. He showed a fearlessness that United badly need if they are to lift themselves out of the mire they are in right now.

‘Amad does some really good things, but it's that end product, that is what takes you to the next level,’ former United striker Wayne Rooney said on Tuesday night.

‘And the glimpses of what I've seen from Lacey when he has come on, especially this season, he has got something in there.’

Match-winner Matheus Cunha thanks Lacey after the 19-year-old set up his decisive goal

It was a cameo that injected so much hope heading into the Villa game. Lacey completed all of his attempted passes, won most of his duels, succeeded in most of his take-ons and laid on a match-winning assist, all in just 15 minutes.

Off the ball Amad does a lot that may – unfairly – get glossed over. His defending has improved considerably since playing as a wing-back under Amorim.

But Amad is playing as United’s go-to right winger and isn’t delivering goals or assists.

To help fulfil the potential of both players, it’s time to start Lacey on Sunday. In the long run, that bold call could be the making of both of them.