33yo forward reflects on Manchester United exit – “I didn’t make the right choices”

One former Manchester United forward has reflected on his time at the club in a recent interview with an Italian newspaper.

Every single Manchester United fan will know their favourite Federico Macheda moment at the club – and they will all be the same.

The spin and curling shot into the top corner against Aston Villa helped win the title for United in 2008/09 and Macheda wrote his name into club folklore.

At the time, he was a 17-year-old who was trying to push his way into Sir Alex Ferguson’s thinking despite the fierce competition at the top of the pitch.

However, despite that moment against Villa, the Italian footballer’s career never properly took off at Old Trafford, with an eventual exit coming in 2014.

Macheda is currently playing at Greek side Asteras Tripolis and has reflected on his time at United in a recent interview.

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When speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, he was asked whether he has any regrets about his time at United and admits that he made some wrong decisions as a young man.

“When you’re young and everything is going well, it’s hard to face reality,” said Macheda.

“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.”

Before he moved to Cardiff City on a permanent transfer in 2014, Macheda had six separate loan spells in the final three years of his time at United. He explains why they weren’t as beneficial as he anticipated.

“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 33-year-old added.

“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.”

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