‘Who needs JJ Gabriel?’ joke fans as Shea Lacey, 19, scores stunning goal just eight minutes into full Man Utd debut

MANCHESTER UNITED fans joked they don’t need JJ Gabriel anyway – after Shea Lacey’s first senior goal on his full debut. In a week dominated by news of 15-year-old wonderkid Gabriel’s decision to quit the Red Devils, Lacey let his feet do the talking instead. Shea Lacey kissed the badge after scoring his first senior goal for Manchester United Credit: Reuters His strike came the day after JJ Gabriel revealed he wants to quit the club Credit: Getty Lacey was handed a start in a game Gabriel was tipped to make his debut in, at home to Brighton in the Carabao Cup third round. And he wasted no time in making his mark, becoming the first Man Utd teenager to score on his full debut since Marcus Rashford ten years ago. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! With eight minutes on the clock, 24 hours after Max Dowman opened the scoring for Arsenal at Ipswich, Lacey cut inside and flashed a brilliant left-footed strike past England back-up goalkeeper Jason Steele. The youngster then celebrated by pointedly kissing the United badge. And that prompted a mass of tweets comparing Lacey’s behaviour to that of his fellow United kid. One said: “Shea Lacey is the future. JJ Gabriel who??” Another wrote: “Seeing that Shea Lacey scored on his first start after all of the JJ Gabriel drama yesterday. Patience.” A third added: “Tears. Shea Lacey scored for United after shading JJ Gabriel for potentially leaving the club when he was supposed to make his debut today lol.” Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS And dozens of users asked: “Who needs JJ Gabriel when you have Shea Lacey?” Liverpool-born Lacey joined United as a kid and supports the Red Devils – despite the rest of his family being Reds fans. He made his senior debut as a sub against Aston Villa last December then was sent off after coming off the bench against tonight’s opponents Brighton in the FA Cup back in January. Gabriel, meanwhile, was in line to be involved in United’s matchday squad for the Seagulls game. Lacey fired into the back of the net emphatically Credit: Getty The likes of Marcus Rashford and Youri Tielemans congratulated the teenager Credit: Getty However, his bombshell request to be de-registered by United sparked chaos and saw him snubbed by Carrick. The move blindsided Old Trafford chiefs, who are now increasingly worried he could go to rivals City instead. Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and now Real Madrid are also in the race to swoop for the young winger. And they may make the most of his Irish passport to avoid Brexit rules blocking a transfer to the EU until he turns 18. Also, because Gabriel is still only 15 – he turns 16 next month – he is not on a professional or scholarship contract. That means United could only get £300,000 in compensation for the whizz dubbed ‘Kid Messi’. Comment now