Federico Macheda's father reckons his son can become the
new Marco van Basten after his stunning debut on
Sunday.
The Manchester United rookie was thrown on against Aston Villa
as Sir Alex Ferguson gambled on the untried 17-year-old to add
punch to his attack.
Macheda impressed and came up trumps in stoppage time with an
exquisite turn and curling shot beyond the despairing reach of Brad
Friedel to spark wild scenes of celebration at Old Trafford.
After running to hug his dad Pasquale, which earned him a yellow
card, Macheda will have to be content with a place on
the bench for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Porto.
However, the praise is ringing in his ears after his
crucial strike took United back to the top of the table.
"Ever since he was a young boy, I have watched my boy
and thought of Marco van Basten," Pasquale told The Sun.
"In the past 18 months, he's developed enormously, physically
and technically at United.
"They have done a fantastic job.
"He looked like he had been playing for years - even alongside
Cristiano Ronaldo, he did not look like a rookie."
Lol, okay this might be too big a praise already.
More like Totti.