Macheda was about to give up football until Fergie rescued him from mean Lazio, claims Italian tal

Published: 11 Apr 2009 - 21:27:26

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The man who discovered Federico Macheda, the new poster boy of Old Trafford, claimed last night that the teenager who has now rescued Manchester United's title bid with winning goals in successive matches could have been lost to football had Sir Alex Ferguson not signed him. Volfango Patarca, who in almost 25 years of service to Lazio's youth system also spotted such talents as Paolo Di Canio and Alessandro Nesta, has told Macheda's former club to stop blaming United for what he claimed was their own poor handling of the player.

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