Carrick can unleash Manchester United’s ‘Foden Regen’ and finally drop Mbeumo

With just three weeks to go until Manchester United resume their Premier League campaign, INEOS may welcome the break as they plan their strategy for the summer transfer window.

Casemiro is of course absent, and with Manuel Ugarte failing to inspire confidence this season, not one, but two elite center midfielders could be in the squad.

The other thing is the business situation. Michael Carrick has done a fantastic job as interim manager at Old Trafford, but it remains to be seen whether he will be handed the reins permanently.

Man United also need to sign a winger to add depth and dynamism to their front line. Last summer saw a concerted effort to overhaul Theater of Dreams’ attacking line-up, but Brian Mbeumo’s recent decline in form and lack of depth suggests that action could be on the market again.

Manchester United’s Brian Mbeumo’s form

Along with Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesco, Mbeumo has formed an exciting new strike partnership at Old Trafford, but it’s clear the Manchester United forward has something left to do this season.

The winger joined last season in a deal originally worth £65m after an exceptional 2024-25 season, but he has had ups and downs so far this season and, strangely, was at a slightly stronger level during a turbulent first half.

He is a talented goalscorer, a versatile attacking tool and a player who could star at Man United at the highest level, but it’s fair to say he lacks some of the muscular energy that characterized the early stages of his Red Devils career.

Mbeumo remains one of the best forwards in the Premier League, but his recent form under Carrick shows he has yet to reach world-class status.

In fact, the Cameroon international has recorded seven goals and one assist in 17 games as Ruben Amorim, but he has not appeared in the last six games and his performance leaves much to be desired.

There are claims that United need a winger, but there may actually be a replacement for the raw Mbeumo, who has already made his mark this season.

Manchester United could sign academy star to replace Mbeumo

Manchester United are confident of their chances of finishing fourth or fifth in the Premier League this season and need to make the most of the summer transfer window, but Carrick is not without attractive up-and-coming qualities.

Take Shea Lacy, for example. The Carrington-born player has already had a dismal showing this season, having been sent off in the closing stages of the Red Devils’ defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the third round of the FA Cup. He has not reappeared yet.

Hailed by journalist Jack Kenmare as a ‘reborn Phil Foden’, the 18-year-old’s future remains bright as he has all the talent needed to bounce back and impress under Carrick by the end of the season.

Lacey has also been dubbed a “wizard on the wing” by Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail, and his fleet, electric pace qualities across the wings and the center of attacking midfield could unsettle players like Mbeumo in the final months of the season.

Mbeumo has hardly been on all cylinders as Carrick’s center forward in recent weeks, and with that in mind, it might be worth unleashing Sesco from the get-go as the Slovenian striker grows more confident in front of goal.

Lacey is not an out-and-out attacker, so playing him as a No. 9 instead of Mbeumo would be an unwise choice. But he’s a great playmaker, effortless on the ball and entertaining. Watch him dance and you’ll see why he’s being compared to City’s Foden from across the road.

He’s worth backing up, and if Sesco returns to the team as a starter, it might be worth giving Lacy a series of games as a right winger to show what he’s made of.