By Chris
June 2 2014
Once touted as a hugely promising prospect for the future, Manchester United frontman Federico Macheda has left the club, joining Cardiff City, having not played for the Red Devils in 18 months.
The 22-year-old joins the Championship club on a free transfer, and will link up with his former reserve team boss at Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Macheda burst onto the scene with a stunning debut goal at Old Trafford in April 2009, curling home an incredible late winner as United came from two goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2.
He followed that dream start up with the only goal of the game at the Sunderland the following weekend, with many United fans anticipating a huge future for the Italian youngster.
First-team opportunities, however, proved difficult to come by for Macheda, and his performances failed to match his early heroics.
He ultimately made 36 appearances for United, the bulk of which were as a substitute. He found the net on five occasions. Loan spells at Sampdoria, QPR, Stuttgart and Doncaster failed to kick start his United career.
The Italian's final appearance for the Red Devils came in December 2012 in a Champions League defeat against Cluj at Old Trafford.
Macheda spent much of last season on loan with Birmingham City, with his ten league goals making a significant contribution to keeping Brum in England's second tier.
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