The Reds' 17-year-old supersub, who has in successive weeks come off the bench to keep the out-of-form Reds top of the table, is giving Fergie a welcome headache - whether to start him on Wednesday when the Reds bid to become the first English side to win at FC Porto.
Macheda - plucked from Lazio's youth system - could be forgiven for letting his emotions run riot after such a dramatic entrance to the Premier League.
But goalkeeper Ben Foster revealed Neville will ensure the Sale-based star in the making is kept in check.
"He should be OK," said the England keeper. "Kiko is quite a level-headed lad but I don't think there are too many in the dressing room that would let him get carried away with himself.
"Gary Neville puts his foot down on anything like that."
Sir Alex had a quiet chat with Macheda's parents last week, aware of the impact the forward had made and the attention now set to be heaped on him.
And, for all the delight at Macheda's goal, claims the teenager meant to turn home Michael Carrick's long-range shot are being treated with caution.
"He said it was a deft touch but I don't think many of the lads really believe him," said Foster.
With Dimitar Berbatov expected to shrug off an ankle knock and the United medical staff desperately trying to get Rio Ferdinand fit from a recent groin injury, the defending European champions travel to Portugal on Tuesday in hope after being pegged 2-2.
Which team should United send out against Porto? Have your say.
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And Federico Macheda proved by scoring the winner again that United still have the best story-writers in the business - and he will get plenty of headlines - but it is two other players who will really determine whether United can make history this season.
Nemanja Vidic was once again a colossus at the back, showing his recent performance against Liverpool was just a blip in an otherwise outstanding season.
Bobby Robson: Rooney,
But my vote for Player of the Season would go to his teammate, Wayne Rooney
VDS
O’Shea Rio Vidic Evra
Ronaldo Carrick Anderson Park
Rooney
Berbatov
Fergie actually has some options in this game but the team does largely pick itself. Neville and Scholes are unlikely to start after 90 minutes against Sunderland. Nailed on IMO; VDS, JOS, Rio (if fit), Vidic, Evra, Giggs, Fletcher, Anderson, Ronaldo & Rooney. Pick one from Carrick, Tevez or Berbatov to fill the remaining place. We must pass the ball well and we must defend as a unit.
As long as our defence tightens up and stops leaking goals
the forward line can feature any of our top players !
Keep kiko on the bench the boss will know when its KIKO TIME!!!
VDS O`Shea Rio Vidic Evra Ronaldo Giggs Fletcher Rooney Berbatov Tevez
Rooney on the left again not ideal but it works
Alias Smith,
Yup, give them the basics. Some here would like to play Fabio, Rafael, Brown, and Hargreaves. And, for the time being, they have forgotten our favorite curly haired Possebon.
This that and the other besides, hope we win the Porto game. That would just spice up the season a bit more. Worried about the Barca match, Vidic and Ferdinand better be ready for those two matches with Evra and Neville (O'Shea) upping their defending skills.
Kiko plays for MUFC!
How did City do is it another manager for the Pork CHOP?
It would be nice seeing a 4:3:3 formation with VDS. Evans Rio Vida Evra: Anderson Carrick Park: Rooney Berba Ronaldo. Subs are Foster, O'shea, Scholes, Fletcher, Tevez and Kiko! what a team it would be with lots of defensive cover and firepower upfront. I'd bet a 3:1 victory.
team from
VDS
Rafael/fabio ferdinand/evans vidic evra
ronaldo fletcher/carrick giggs anderson
roony
macheda
Raju, Katmandu, what barca match? are you for real? do you ever think before posting?.
I really do have a strong gut feeling that Fletcher and Anderson could emerge as our key players against Porto. I am rapidly gaining confidence about the outcome of this match, more so if Rio plays. For you lads who make the trip, keep up your superb vocal support. My head will be watching on screen but my heart will be there with you. BELIEVE!!!
manu expert, nice try there, I'm happy that if nothing football related at least I managed to teach you a new phrase. In response to your comment to what you said on the other thread: the quality of Berbatov IS there for all to see, you just don't know what to look for. That's why the stats were brought in to show you black on white. Also, I believe Raju was referring to the CL-final, which we will get to if we beat Porto.
I agree with the lineups most people have apart from one or two players. I hope we go all in from the start, put Porto on the back foot and just try and score more goals than them as we are currently not in a position where we can rely on keeping a clean sheet. I want 4-4-2 with Giggs and Ronaldo on the wings and Fletcher-Carrick in the middle. I noticed Ronaldo was actually tracking back on Saturday so maybe he's learned something, and with Fletcher fully rested and playing in the centre (!) we will be OK when they come at us. Rooney and Berbatov up front, let's just have a go at them United-style with real wingers actually playing on the wings (!) and two mobile forwards linking up and creating problems for them. I am not an advocate of classic 4-4-2 (because it almost always turns in to 4-2-4) but we don't really have a choice this time as I see it.
Although it is a mouthwatering prospect to start Anderson it may be more fruitful to bring him on in the second half, as he is usually better as an impact player and rarely keeps the steam going for 90 minutes, not to mention he's been injured. If he does start though it would bring a smile to my face, I would be delighted just to see the kid have a go, and I can see him getting his first goal for us. He definitely would have a point to prove going back to his old stomping ground.
I do believe it is more likely we will start in a 4-3-3 and that could work, as long as the three CM's don't stand on top of each other like idiots, unable to pass 5 yards as we saw last week. Anderson, Carrick, Fletcher in CM, Giggs and Ronaldo on the wings with Rooney up front is certainly not a bad lineup either - I just feel we need all the strikers we can get for this one.
Gary Breen's Handball, , you say play 4 4 2 with giggs on the left, have you seen giggs play winger recently? i guess not. if you had, then you would'nt be asking for it. one place giggs can play now is c/midfield, where he seems comfortable.
one more thing gary, when did the c/league final became a two legged affair?
Perhaps someone is just trying to make a point.It's ok to make a mistake posting.
team from
VDS
Rafael/fabio ferdinand/evans vidic evra
ronaldo fletcher/carrick giggs anderson
roony
macheda
dr_hadi, kuwait
Brilliant team selection.
With Welbeck Tevez Tosic and Nani subs
manu expert, don't worry about me, I do know what the situation is with Ryan Giggs and I do agree putting him on the flank might not be ideal, but I want two proper wingers playing and apart from Ronaldo he is the only one who fits the bill, in my opinion. Nani could be a liability, Park does not have the cutting edge and Hargreaves, the optimal solution, is injured. Other than that there is Rooney and Anderson, and neither are wingers and both could probably be put to better use elsewhere, though I wouldn't mind seeing them on the wing. But for me, this leaves Giggs, who will do a good job, if even for just 50 minutes, will track back, has the experience at this level and is able to put in dangerous crosses, set pieces and even score. You know that even though he starts at CM he still has a tendency to go wide left with or without the ball, he just doesn't bomb down the flank any longer.
But why do I insist on a 4-4-2? Again the concept of space comes in to it. I think it will be to our advantage if we stretch the opponent to create room for other players inside, to play between the full back and centre half (cue Rooney). Also it will put their full backs on the back foot so they won't feel comfortable attacking (which they did quite comfortably at OT), and it should make us quick on the counter. The 4-4-2 will definitely make us very vulnerable as well, no doubt, but in this case I believe attack is the best form of defense, and Porto will probably be relying on counter attacks anyway.
As for the Barca thing, I was just guessing Raju was talking about the CL-final, or maybe he meant to say Villareal. Peanuts anyway.
This Italian-Stallion has the hallmark of a true Utd star for the future and we must nurture him like Giggsey, Solsjaer and Ronaldo etc.
We've got a bar of gold here by the looks of it.
You think that we will lose to Porto?
The Barca match will come provided that we do not stop playing and that is exactly what the team has been doing after scoring a goal and that is what makes us lose. Remember Liverpool and the rest of the matches or even Porto when they had more players in the box than we did for their last goal? You think the boys will be allowed to stop playing in the semis? Or they will be too confident?
Provided we do not get bad slices of luck, like Rooney or Scholes getting red cards, and hey, even with 10 men, our boys are capable of beating just about anybody when they play well, we will be there for the Barca match. And the Barca match will be scary because our defense is not doing too well and have you seen Barca's attacking play?
Maybe you do not think at all about potential match ups, with the injuries that we have, it is good to go beyond the Porto match and imagine how the set up is going to be like for a could-be final in Rome.
Have you heard the latest...Madrid want to buy Macheda and have allready got his shirt.
lets hope SAF starts tevez he deserves the start. the rest of the team know whats expected,and will deliver
Yes, feet need to be kept on grounds. But lets face it, the guy has got it. Compare him to our other "Wonder kid" Wellbeck, and there is NO comparison. Physically Kiko is years infront of Wellbeck. Wellbeck is stick thin and nowhere near capable of mixing it with Premier League centre halves. Kiko however looks the part already. Does ANYONE think he looks 17? He won't be the finished article yet of course, but he's contributed more than the likes of Park, Berbatov and Tevez in the last two Premier League games, and he's only been on the pitch 30 minutes in total. I don't care where he comes from, if he's better thanWellbeck he should play infront of him. Just like Rooney is better than Tevez and should play infront of him. I'm all for English players, but only if they're good enough like Rooney, Ferdinand and Carrick. Which makes me wonder, is there no English wide player around better than Ji Sung Park? Ther MUST be thousands.
I have to agree with everybody saying give the lad a chance and lets not start heaping too much pressure on him eh? Fergie is handling him the right way IMO, I don't think he is quite ready to be starting make or break games at this stage of his career but hopefully he will continue to develop and get more game time next season.
Thank god he was around against Villa and Sunderland though because otherwise our season would just about be over!
Who cares if we heap pressure on him, if he can't take it he won't make it anyway. He's red hot and would be gung ho so play him alongside Rooney and lets see if he can be another storming Norman!