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Manchester United are known for having some of the best forward players the Premier League has ever seen over the years, and it was a large reason behind their success under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The iconic Scottish manager won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies during his 27 years in charge at Old Trafford, while he also lifted five FA Cups, four League Cups, 10 Community Shields, a European Cup Winners Cup, a European Super Cup, an Intercontinental Cup, and a Club World Cup.
But arguably the best team of his reign came during the 2006-2009 period, where United won three Premier League titles in a row, and reached consecutive Champions League finals, winning one against Chelsea.
That team had the likes of a Ballon d'Or winning Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, and Dimitar Berbatov, while other forwards such as Nani, Ryan Giggs, and Park Ji-Sung would also be part of the squad.
Despite those superstars being available, Ferguson never stopped giving youth a chance, even when the team was at it's strongest. The likes of Fabio, Rafael, Danny Welbeck, and Jonny Evans were given opportunities to make a name for themselves.
But there was one young star who made a huge impact during his time in the first-team, and it has now emerged that Ferguson was a huge fan of him.
Sir Alex Named Macheda as Man Utd's Best Finisher
ronaldo macheda
Young Italian forward wrote himself into Man Utd folklore as a 17-year-old in the Premier League, coming on as a substitute at Old Trafford in a game against Aston Villa with the scores level.
The teenage sensation would score the winner with a brilliant strike into the top corner, and he then followed that up against Sunderland by scoring the winning goal just 46 seconds after coming on to the pitch as a substitute.
But his Old Trafford career didn't work out, as he made just 36 appearances across six years at the club, and had unsuccessful loan spells at the likes of QPR, Sampdoria, Stuttgart, and Doncaster Rovers.
But despite that, Macheda has now claimed that Sir Alex Ferguson used to name him the club's best finisher, despite the incredible quality of his teammates.
After leaving Man Utd in 2014, Macheda would go on to spend time with Cardiff and Nottingham Forest in the Championship, two seasons with Novara in Serie B, before spells with Panathinaikos, Ankaragucu, APOEL, and Asteras Tripolis.
Despite working alongside some of the top professionals, Macheda admitted that he didn't understand the work it took to get to the top when he was a young player, and that it was a regret of his career.
Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson
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