Source: Eurosport
Massacci claims United deal
Empoli youngster Alberto Massacci claims he has signed for Barclays Premier League champions Manchester United.[LNB] The 16-year-old right-back has never figured in the first-team squad of the Serie B side but impressed United's scouts during an international youth team event last year, where he was voted player of the tournament.[LNB] "When they called me, I really couldn't believe it," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I didn't believe that it was really him (Sir Alex Ferguson) on the phone." [LNB] Reports suggest Massacci has already spent three days in Manchester, having a medical, and is set to fly back on Sunday to sign on the dotted line, and the teenager admits he has been left somewhat stunned by it all.[LNB] He added: "It was him (Ferguson), and I had an hour-long chat with him, in English. He seemed to me a modest, simple, incredible person. [LNB] "Nobody, not him, nor the whole atmosphere, made the pressure of who they are and what they represent in footballing history weigh on my shoulders."[LNB] He added: "In life a chance like this only comes past you once, and you've got to grab it with both hands. [LNB] "Even if at 16 years old it isn't an easy decision, you have to leave your home, family and friends. But I don't want to have regrets."[LNB] It is not the first time Ferguson and United have raided Italian youth teams, having previously snapped up Giuseppe Rossi and Federico Macheda.[LNB] Massacci becomes United's third signing of the summer, after shelling out £15million on Antonio Valencia and bringing in free agent Michael Owen.
