Man Utd forward Amad started against Chelsea last weekend and wasted a handful of big chances at Stamford Bridge.

Amad looked like a player who had not scored for 320 days when he played against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United created plenty of opportunities in the first half, and plenty of them fell to Amad, who could not score from 0.56 expected goals (xG).

The chance Amad missed on the stroke of half-time when he nipped in behind Wesley Fofana was the worst of the bunch, with the winger getting one-on-one with the goalkeeper before firing over the bar.

Michael Carrick did not get to his feet during the opening 10 minutes of the game, but he was like a jack-in-the-box for the remainder of the first half, and looked particularly exasperated when Amad missed that chance.

Amad appealed for a penalty when he missed, appearing to have felt some contact from a scrambling Fofana behind him, but even with the defender trying to recover he should have found the net.

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Amad posted a message on social media a day after the Chelsea defeat, which felt like an acknowledgement that he should have done better.

"Difficult days weigh on us, but they will never erase what unites us," he posted on his Instagram story. "The joy of winning again will be all the greater for having waited for it together. I have such faith."

Amad's output in the final third has been a conversation for a while now. Every other aspect of his performance against Chelsea was encouraging but his finishing let him down.

That has been the story of this calendar year for Amad in a United shirt as, remarkably, his last goal for the club came in United's 4-4 draw with Bournemouth at Old Trafford on December 15, 2025.

Carrick was asked about Amad's output in May, and he defended his form, explaining that he offers more to the team than just goals and assists, but the ability to impact games is what wins points.

Amad contributed an assist on the final day of the season against Brighton and looked back to his best during the World Cup, brimming with confidence for the Ivory Coast, hinting a revival was in store this season, but his wait for a goal continues after missing chances against Chelsea.

That is a problem at a time when Carrick needs his forwards to step up. With Benjamin Sesko sidelined, Bryan Mbeumo has at times looked like the only forward capable of scoring, which is an obvious concern.

It may be time to give Shea Lacey a start against Roma on Tuesday night. It would be slightly harsh to drop Amad, given he played well but just failed to score against Chelsea, but Lacey deserves a crack at it.

The youngster has been unused since his brilliant goal against Brighton in the Carabao Cup in September, making cameos against Como and Bournemouth.

While Amad is approaching the one-year anniversary of his last goal for the club, Lacey has made fewer than 10 first-team appearances and his last goal came just 47 days ago.

Lacey is a fearless winger. He isn't afraid to shoot from angles other young players wouldn't have the ability or confidence to attempt to score from.

Carrick needs players who can score goals in his team, and Lacey currently offers a better chance of finding the net than Amad.