Macheda Snr hails Manchester United super starlet Federico

Macheda is mobbed by his team-mates after his goal against Villa

The father of Manchester United's newest hero is still in dreamland after his son's magical moment at the weekend.

Pasquale Macheda realised in a few seconds that years of sacrifice and hard work had been worth it after watching Federico score a last-gasp winner against Aston Villa.

It is not too long agao that Macheda Snr worked nights in a supermarket so that he could drive his son to Lazio's training centre, a world away from their home in the rundown Ponte Dinona area of Rome.

And after the 17-year-old announced his arrival in the Premier League in front of his dad at Old Trafford on Sunday, proud Pasquale said: 'The one thing I keep seeing in my mind is my son's eyes after he scored. When he ran towards me with tiger eyes.

'He had this incredible fiery look. Above all the noise I could hear him shouting "come down, come down".

I raced down the steps and we hugged. His look was enough to say "see where we have got to, see where we have come, dad".

'I burst into tears. It was beyond belief, I could not believe I was going through such a moment. It left me numb. I have watched the goal again and again on DVD. It is unbelievable.'

He added in The Sun: 'In the past 18 months he's developed enormously, physically and technically at United. They have done a fantastic job.

'When United were 2-1 down to Villa I thought there would be no room for my son to come on. But then someone said "there he is!"

'I rubbed my eyes because he looked like he had been playing for years - even alongside Cristiano Ronaldo he did not look like a rookie.

'When he scored I blanked out, I didn't see what happened. All these years I asked him "when are you going to dedicate a goal to me?"

'He said nothing on Sunday, he didn't have to. His look said it all.'

Macheda's achievement was of little consolation to Lazio, who were left angry after United snatched away the star prospect from their youth academy in September 2007.

'It's thanks to Lazio that today Federico is doing well in his English experience,' said Pasquale.

'He was a part of Lazio's youth team and he was fortunate there to learn a lot and become a serious lad from a sporting point of view.

'Federico was born in Rome and grew up at Lazio. But it's not easy to resist an offer from a prestigious club like Manchester.

'Now we are enjoying the moment and we are proud of what Federico has done. He is a serious kid with his feet firmly on the ground.'

One person at Lazio who did celebrate the player's instant success was Federico's former coach with the club's youth team, Stefano Avincola.

'I am delighted for him,' he said. 'Of course there's some regret at the Lazio camp for seeing a quality player leave. But I want to reiterate that Lazio did everything they could to keep Federico at the club, seeing in him a player with potential and good prospects.

'Unfortunately, it was not possible and the lad and his family made an understandable choice of leaving Lazio and thanking the club for everything they did for the young Federico.'

Carew: Be Positive

John Carew believes a "confident approach" is key to UEFA Cup progress.

Martin O'Neill's men travel to Russia this week for the second leg - with the tie finely poised at 1-1 after the Villa Park clash.

Many will have CSKA Moscow down as favourites, thanks to their away goal, but Carew insists Villa's form this season should fill the team full of hope.

He told AVTV: "There is no reason for us to fear anything. We must believe we can go over there and win.

"It will be a different atmosphere because they will have their home fans cheering and it will obviously be colder but that's about it.

"We have to go and play the football we play every week. We are confident we can do that and emerge victorious.

"I am looking forward to the game. It is a big match and should be a great experience for everyone.

"I am confident we can do it. We should go there with big belief that we can get through. We can beat them.

"It has been fantastic to play in Europe for Villa this season. That was obviously a goal throughout last season and in the early stages in the Intertoto Cup too.

"Now we are into the UEFA Cup knockout stages and fighting for a Champions League spot via the league too.

"It's fantastic for the club, fans, players - everyone. We should all be proud."

Rooney Makes Scoring Return as United Moves Five Points.

Feb. 19, Wayne Rooney made a goal-scoring return from his five-week injury layoff to help Manchester United beat Fulham 3-0 and extend its Premier League lead to five points.

Rooney, who had been sidelined with a hamstring injury, completed the scoring after coming on as a second-half substitute at Old Trafford last night. United led through first- half goals by Paul Scholes and Dimitar Berbatov.

United’s ninth straight league victory lifted the Red Devils to 59 points with 13 games remaining as they bid to tie Liverpool’s record of 18 English championships. Liverpool is second with 54 points.

"We didn’t take any risks with Wayne," United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports. "I could have played him on Sunday but I felt wait a few days and we’ll get the dividends of that, and we got that tonight."

United has now gone 14 games unbeaten in England’s top division as it seeks an unprecedented five trophies this season. Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar last night extended his shutout streak to 1,302 minutes, a European record.

Scholes opened the scoring in the 12th minute when he volleyed Michael Carrick’s corner kick from the edge of the area and Fulham goalie Mark Schwarzer spilled the shot over the line. It was the 34-year-old Scholes’s 97th Premier League goal.

"Over the years I have always contributed goals but in the last couple of seasons that hasn’t been the case, as I have been playing slightly deeper," Scholes told MUTV. "Hopefully that’s the start of a few more to come."

Carlos Tevez had a goal disallowed for offside in the 25th minute before Berbatov made it 2-0 five minutes later when he got between Schwarzer and Aaron Hughes to tap in a cross from John O’Shea, who had been picked out by Scholes’s chip.

United had a second goal waved off just before half time as Berbatov was judged offside as he headed in Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick.

Rooney, who got injured against Wigan on Jan. 14, replaced Berbatov 15 minutes into the second half. Less than three minutes later he met Park Ji-Sung’s shot across the face of goal at the far post for his seventh league goal of the season.

Van der Sar, who hasn’t allowed a goal during United’s unbeaten streak, surpassed the European single-season mark of 1,275 minutes without allowing a goal set by Atletico Madrid’s Abel Resino in 1991.

Should the Dutchman hold Blackburn scoreless for 89 minutes in three days, he will eclipse the record of Club Brugge keeper Dany Verlinden, who went 1,390 minutes without allowing a goal over two seasons of the Belgian league in 1990.

Van Persie - Things are "not really working"

Robin Van Persie accepts things are ''not really working'' for Arsenal at the moment but has vowed the Gunners will soon get their campaign back on track.

Arsene Wenger's men survived the first-half dismissal of winger Emmanuel Eboue and injury to frontman Emmanuel Adebayor as they battled to earn a point in the north London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, which finished goalless at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

It was the second successive match in which the misfiring Gunners had failed to find the net. Indeed, Arsenal have now scored just one goal in their last 360 minutes of action in all competitions.

A Premier League title challenge has failed to materialise, with Wenger's men now six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Van Persie - the club's leading scorer - accepts Arsenal's season has not gone according to plan lately, but he feels there are still reasons to be positive heading into the final 13 league matches.

''In the last three games we have had three draws and that is just not good enough,'' declared the Arsenal striker, whose last-gasp goal snatched a draw at Everton.

''It is six points missing - if we had those six points, but this is if, if, if. It is not really working. What can I say?''

Van Persie stressed: ''We are still creating the chances. Even with 10 men against Spurs we had a few chances. I am not really worried because we are still creating.

''Sometimes it is me to blame or a player to blame. Sometimes we are unlucky. Everybody can judge that for themselves.''

Wenger continues to believe his young squad have both the temperament and skill to become a major force once again.

With an unbeaten run now stretching to 11 Premier League games, albeit including six draws, Van Persie insists the shoots of recovery are already in place.

''We are working hard, but we know we are not there yet,'' said the Holland international, who has hit 13 goals so far this term.

''We are not scoring enough goals, we are not playing well enough - but everyone stays positive and we are trying to help each other.

''The basics are there, its just up to us to finish it off now.''

Striker Eduardo da Silva - on the bench at Tottenham following almost 12 months out because of a broken leg - is set to soon be back in contention for a start, while new signing Andrei Arshavin - also among the Arsenal substitutes at White Hart Lane - has yet to make his presence felt.

England winger Theo Walcott should be available again by the end of the month following shoulder surgery, with captain Cesc Fabregas hopeful he can return sooner than originally expected from a knee ligament injury.

With such talent waiting in the wings, Van Persie feels there is ''more to come'' from this Arsenal squad.

''Eduardo has been working really hard and everyone is just really happy that he is back. Hopefully he can play, the sooner the better,'' he said.

''Arshavin has looked good in training - they both have - so there is more to come. I really believe in their qualities.''

Full-back Gael Clichy suffered a nasty cut following a clash of heads with Tottenham forward Darren Bent late on in Sunday's game.

While the defender was withdrawn from the France squad for the midweek friendly against Argentina as a precaution, he is expected to recover in time for Arsenal's next match, which is not until next Monday when Cardiff come to the Emirates Stadium for an FA Cup fourth-round replay.

However, Togo striker Adebayor is set to be sidelined for around three weeks with a hamstring problem and so faces a race against time to be fit for the Champions League last-16 clash against Roma.

Robinho: I Am As Good As Ronaldo

Robinho recently claimed that he couldn’t have fulfilled his potential if he had remained with Real Madrid beyond last summer, when he became tired of his fringe status and made a mega-money move to newly-rich Manchester City.

He’s impressed in England thus far, despite some fitness worries, but it is widely considered that he has a long way to go before he can be placed alongside world football’s elite players, just as City are still struggling despite their huge investments.

Regardless, the Brazilian has got his sights on Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who also happens to be a United star and Mancunian counterpart.

"With respect to Cristiano, it is unacceptable that they wanted to use me in negotiations," he seethed previously, referring to Madrid’s botched pursuit of the Portuguese powerhouse.

Now that they share the Premier League, though, Robinho is keen to knock the winger off his pedestal.

"Cristiano is an excellent player and he deserves to have won the Ballon D’Or and FIFA World Player awards," the Brazilian admitted to the Daily Mirror. "But I am neither better nor worse than him.

"Cristiano has his style and I have mine. I don’t like making comparisons, because I focus on playing football. It is up to others to judge who is better."

"Still, in Manchester I can fulfil my dream of being the best."