Brother of Manchester United star charged with attempted murder

Manchester United’s academy has long been lauded for producing elite football talent, yet the headlines surrounding one of its brightest prospects now carry a darker subplot. Shea Lacey, the teenage winger who made his Premier League debut for United earlier this season, is facing an unwanted spotlight after police charged his older brother, Paddy Lacey, with attempted murder following a shooting in Liverpool last November.

Merseyside Police confirmed that the incident in Huyton left a man in his 20s with serious injuries and triggered a months-long investigation. On Thursday detectives executed multiple warrants across Knowsley, Sefton and Liverpool, arresting four men including 29-year-old Paddy Lacey. Court documents show Lacey faces five charges: attempted murder, conspiracy to murder, possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life, Section 18 grievous bodily harm, and conspiracy to commit GBH. He will appear alongside co-accused John Aaron Jones, John George Patrick Hughes and Bernard Flynn at Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton and St Helens Adult Remand Court on 20 February.

Football once defined the Lacey family. Paddy came through Manchester United’s academy before spells at Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday, eventually playing 25 Football League games for Accrington Stanley during the 2016–17 campaign. He later dropped into non-league with Southport, Chester and Altrincham, displaying the same versatility that has marked Shea’s rapid rise at Old Trafford. Away from the pitch, Lacey forged a professional middleweight boxing record of 12 wins and 1 loss, most recently stepping into the ring at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on 7 February where he was defeated by Jack Swallow.

The family’s sporting ties do not end there: youngest brother Luis Lacey currently plays for Macclesfield, underscoring how deeply football runs through the household even as legal proceedings threaten to overshadow their collective achievements. Manchester United have declined to comment on the case, but club sources indicate Shea will continue to receive full backing as he develops under Erik ten Hag’s first-team squad.

For supporters who have tracked Shea Lacey’s every dribble since he first appeared on United’s pre-season tour, the news has landed with sobering force. It is a reminder that the personal lives of players—and those closest to them—can collide with the unforgiving glare of Premier League scrutiny, turning anticipation on the pitch into headlines off it.