Owen Hargreaves thinks Man Utd have a wonderkid coming through the ranks who’s just like Phil Foden

Ruben Amorim might not have fancied the academy much during his time at Man Utd, but Owen Hargreaves has high hopes for one wonderkid who reminds him of Phil Foden.

The debuts Ruben Amorim gave at Man Utd are increasingly looking like token gestures to calm the noise around his future rather than actively nurturing the youngster’s potential.

It was seen in his handling of Jack Fletcher, who was set up to fail in an unfamiliar position, or the snubbing of Shea Lacey.

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The academy should become the focus again after Amorim’s departure, and Owen Hargreaves is already expecting big things from one player.

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Owen Hargreaves sees Phil Foden in Shea Lacey

Amorim’s treatment of Shea Lacey was extremely confusing because not only did he make an impact in the only senior appearance he had under him, but many games were also crying out for someone like him to come off the bench.

Unfortunately, Amorim just didn’t see it, and Lacey made sure to make him realise his mistake as soon as he received an opportunity under Darren Fletcher.

Fletcher threw the kitchen sink at Burnley late on to try and win the game, and Lacey’s introduction sparked life into the game.

He rattled the crossbar with a stinging drive from outside the box, and almost tested the goalkeeper again with a similar shot in injury time.

Gary Neville was in awe of Lacey, and Hargreaves compared him to Phil Foden.

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Hargreaves said: “Tell you what, he’s a player. He’s got something. I know he’s only young, and you know, he’s not the biggest, but I tell you what, he’s got courage.

“Knows exactly what he wants to do. Get onto that left foot. He reminds me a bit of Phil Foden, the way he moves, the way he dribbles. Technically, he’s a very, very good player. Scored a ton of goals in the youth team.”

Lacey needs nurturing to fulfill his potential

It’s not the first time Lacey has been compared to Foden, as eagle-eyed followers of the academy made these comparisons all the way back in 2023 for a 15-year-old Lacey.

The challenge comes after the breakout, where Pep Guardiola protected and unleashed Foden at the right moments to maximise his growth.

United can’t have another academy product get “saviour complex”, but, at the same time, Amorim’s efforts to keep playing them down didn’t help either.

The club need to strike the perfect balancing act because Lacey is simply too talented to let him flail and falter after the breakout.

There is also his injury worry to consider, which he seems to have put behind him now, but needs monitoring nonetheless.

Overall, the Foden comparisons are a good starting point, not just in terms of how talented Lacey is, but how United can get a youngster to a world-class level by shutting out outside noise and focusing on the development.

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