Kiko Macheda reveals he didn’t listen to the ‘right people’ at Manchester United

The case of Federico Macheda is one that makes you wonder about what could have been. Signed by Manchester United from Lazio at 16, Macheda would go on to impress one and all with his performances for the youth and reserve teams of the Red Devils. In 2009, he made his first team debut, scoring an unforgettable winner against Aston Villa, while still being a teenager.

Great heights were expected of him in the aftermath of that event but they did not come. He stayed on the fringes of United’s first team before going out on loan to a bunch of clubs. Right now he plays for Super League Greece club Asteras Tripolis.

So where did it all go wrong? As per Macheda himself in a recent interview to calciomercato.com, “A mix of bad choices and unpreparedness for success, because when you’re there you feel like you’ll play there forever; it’s a club that follows the growth of young players a lot, I felt at home. But I didn’t listen to the right people, I had insecurity problems and after a couple of loans I started to doubt myself”.

At the same time, the Italian striker is full of praise for Sir Alex Ferguson. Macheda said that the relationship between him and the then Manchester United manager was that of a grandfather and a grandson and said that Ferguson was devoid of any flaws.

Kaulik Mitra | GIFN