Kiko Macheda

We've seen him last night, with the superb goal. But we know very little about him, except for those who follow closely in English Reserve League, or United's Youth Squad. So, I'll share all I can have from manutd.com

Born: Rome, 22 August 1991
Age: 17
Position: Striker

And lets read how he got to the bench last night....Obviously the striker problems that Sir Alex had, had opened the door for him to possibly fit in.

When United take on FC Porto in the Champions League quarter-final, Sunday’s match-winner Federico Macheda will return to the bench - though not to anonymity – and Sir Alex Ferguson insists the young Italian striker will remain grounded.

However, his spectacular cameo in the 3-2 win over Aston Villa has shown that he is a genuine option up front, with Sir Alex admitting he’d find it almost impossible to leave Macheda out of the reckoning on Tuesday.

“I think he’ll be involved on the bench,” said the boss. “I’ve got Wayne Rooney back, which is a big bonus for us. But it’s difficult to leave him out, isn’t it?

Macheda adapted to playing under the first-team spotlight with relative ease, rising to the most demanding of occasions. It’s vindication of Sir Alex’s judgement that he was ready for his shot at the big time.

“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. But we were sure of Kiko in that respect.

“He’s just a young boy, and he doesn’t turn 18 until August. He’s like any young boy would be, they 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.”

Macheda proved his mental fortitude in his bid to be on the bench against Villa. Before United Reserves’ 3-3 draw against Newcastle on Monday, second-string boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pulled the young forward to one side.

“I told Ole to tell him that if he did well against Newcastle he would be on the bench on Sunday,” said the boss. “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."

Urrm....no 41, anyone?? Haha.. . I bet he'll get a smaller number next season...