Carrick’s Shea Lacey decision sparked Man Utd comeback vs Roma but it also exposed him

Michael Carrick rolled the dice on Shea Lacey against Roma, and it worked out spectacularly, or did it?

Going down by two goals in the first 20 minutes was the expected script, but the second-half comeback wasn’t on anybody’s menu at Old Trafford.

Bruno Fernandes‘ penalty had already cut the deficit to half in the second half, but it was Shea Lacey who teamed up with Matheus Cunha to change the game.

It merits credit to Michael Carrick, who sensed the momentum of the game and made that change, but in the process, it exposed him.

Michael Carrick’s indefensible Shea Lacey stance exposed

Lacey was magical after coming off the bench, but those who watch United regularly already know that he makes an impact every time he is given a chance.

He scored on his only start this season, and even in games where everything is lost, like the 4-1 loss to Como, he injected energy off the bench.

The same happened here against Roma, which begs the question: Why doesn’t Carrick trust him more?

Lacey sits on one start this season, and it’s not like in-form players are keeping him out of the starting XI on pure merit.

If anything, Lacey has regularly proved that he warrants more minutes because he’s such an improvement on any player he comes on for.

Does Carrick deserve credit for changing the course of the game by bringing on Lacey against Roma? Sure. But it’s impossible to shake off the feeling that United would be sitting on more points right now if Lacey had played more minutes.

One result doesn’t change the overarching picture that Carrick hasn’t helped himself with his team selections and preferential treatment for some players.

Lacey deserves to be so much more than being a fringe option who is thrown on late to cause chaos on the pitch. On current form, he should be the first name on the starting XI.

The fact that he isn’t is down to Carrick, and one successful substitution against Roma only further serves to expose his fault in his handling of Lacey.