Macheda to be on United bench against Porto

Idolov

Editor

posted on 15 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

111
views

Macheda netted the winner in United's 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.

New Delhi: Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has revealed on Monday that he will find it hard to leave teenaged striker Federico Macheda out of the squad when Porto come to Old Trafford on Tuesday night, and the Italian, who netted the dramatic late winner in United's 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, will probably be on the bench for the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final.

"I think he’ll be involved on the bench," Ferguson told United's official website. "I’ve got Wayne Rooney back, which is a big bonus for us. But it’d difficult to leave him out, isn’t it?"

Such a dramtic debut woudl turn the head of even the most grounded of young players, but the Scotsman, known for his man-management abilities, particularly with young players, is confident that Macheda, nicknamed 'Kiko', will not allow his ego to swell too much.

"We ask the question every time we bring a young player into the team: have they got the right temperament? With 76,000 people at Old Trafford, playing for the stakes we were on Sunday, it’s a big ask for a young kid. We were sure of Kiko in that respect," Ferguson continued.

"He’s just a young boy, and he doesn’t turn 18 until August. He’s like any young boy would be, like to read things about themselves! But Kiko has the mental attitude to deal with it. He only needs to look at the examples set by Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. They’re great examples. Even the younger generation, like John O’Shea and Darren Fletcher, are superb individuals in how they behave in normal life," he said.

Macheda appeared for the United reserve side in their 3-3 draw with Newcastle United reserves last week, and Ferguson concluded by revealing how that game had played a crucial role in the teenager's elevation to the first team.

He said, "I told Ole (Solskjaer, reserve team coach) to tell him that if he did well against Newcastle he would be on the bench on Sunday.

"It was a challenge for him and, of course, he went and scored a hat-trick. That’s him saying, ‘get me on that bench, quick!’ I like to see that in young players, wanting to get there."