Former Manchester United striker Federico Macheda has expressed regret over some of the choices he made while at Old Trafford.
The 33 year old started his career at Lazio but signed for United as a 16 year old in 2007.
He signed his first professional contract for the club in August 2008 and would later make a name for himself in epic fashion.
In a vital match in the title race late in the 2008-2009 season, Macheda was sent on at home to Aston Villa and grabbed a crucial late winner to give United massive momentum in the title race. This sparked wild celebrations at Old Trafford in one of the quintessential moments of Premier League history.
Unfortunately, this didn’t spark a long and successful career at United as he only played 36 times for the club in six years, scoring five senior goals.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport the Italian revealed his regret at some of the loan moves he made during his time at United.
He would make a total of five loan transfers whilst at United, with none of them really being considered a success.
“When you’re young and everything is going well, it’s hard to face reality. Today I can safely say that I didn’t make the right choices in that period of my life, but speaking with hindsight is easy.”
Macheda believes that he perhaps did not receive the best advice as he would often accept less than ideal loan deals. “At 19, I went out on loan several times, even accepting six-month contracts. I put myself in situations where I had to prove everything in a short time.”
The striker also believes that he had bad luck in that the clubs he decided to join did not always have the stability required to help a young player prosper.
“I also often found myself in the middle of complicated corporate moments. This unfortunate combo led me to take steps backwards. Despite the many falls, however, I always got back up and I take credit for that.”
Macheda has had spells in Italy, Turkyie and Greece since leaving the United Kingdom in 2017 and is currently playing for Greek club Asteras Tripolis.
Alex Browne
Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Proud owner of such niche shirts such as Kleberson, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Gary Neville. Grew up pretending to be Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the back garden, with little success.
