Federico Macheda will always be known for his dream debut at Manchester United.
He scored a vital stoppage time winner against Aston Villa back in March 2009. Even though he didn’t go on to become a regular at Old Trafford, that goal against the Villains will forever be etched in the memories of many Manchester United fans.
The Italian, who is now plying his trade with Greek club Asteras Tripolis, has spoken to Gazzetta dello Sport about his time with the Red Devils.
He was asked about any regrets he has from his period in Manchester, and the striker opened up a little to reveal something which appears to have bothered him since.
“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.”
The 33-year-old stated that loan deals away from his parent club never helped him: “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.
“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.”
During his time at the Theatre of Dreams, Macheda spent as many as five loan deals away from the club.
He ended up playing in three different countries during those loan spells, spending time at Sampdoria, Stuttgart, Birmingham City, Doncaster Rovers and Queens Park Rangers.
This clearly shows that perhaps, Manchester United never really had a plan for the striker and it impacted his career.
