Man Utd's Lacey earns defensive praise as Under-21s prepare for Premier League 2 final

Manchester United Under-21 coach Adam Lawrence has joked that danger man Shea Lacey has finally grasped the concept of tracking back at the age of 19.

Lacey has emerged this season as one of the most promising players in United's academy. The England Under-20 international was a key figure in the 4-3 victory over Manchester City in last week's Premier League 2 play-off semi-final and is one of United's most dangerous attacking options going into Saturday night's final against Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

But Lawrence was just as pleased with the work Lacey did defending his own goal against City as with the goal and assist he contributed.

What did Lawrence say about Lacey?

"When you isolate some of his one-v-one play, his dribbling, dropping the shoulder, twisting and turning, it's really exciting," Lawrence said. "He's got magic in his feet and is what a Manchester United player should look like."

He added: "I've never seen him run backwards so much as he did against City. That was a positive. I said to him afterwards it's good that finally, at 19 years of age, he's understood what tracking back actually is."

What is at stake on Saturday?

United are aiming to win PL2 in its current format for the first time. They last won the old title, based solely on league performance, in 2015-16. They finished second in this season's table behind Chelsea on goal difference, while Brighton ended the season in 12th.

Who else could be key?

Lawrence highlighted goalkeeper Will Murdock as a potentially crucial figure in the final.

"Will is quite a calming presence in terms of the way he can take crosses and being reliable when the ball's going into him," he said. "When you're an outfield player and feel confident with the goalkeeper behind, that obviously really helps the team in terms of giving them a platform."