Federico Macheda’s comments lost in translation
Manchester United striker Federico Macheda was forced to explain his comments about fellow Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney.
The 19-year-old was reported to have said, "Rooney is a really great person, he always gives me advice, but he's a bit working class and vulgar."
However, in an interview with la Gazzetta dello Sport the teenager had added that he was “like me” and that the comments were not meant in a derogatory way.
Since then, Macheda has insisted that his relationship with Rooney is very good and that he is happy to play alongside a footballer like Rooney.
The incident will be an unwelcome distraction for Macheda and Rooney as they prepare to play for their countries.
The Manchester United striker is on under-21 international duty and Rooney is preparing for their clash with Montenegro in the European Championships.
The incident was picked up after Macheda had made the comments, but the striker has insisted that the comments were misinterpreted and lost in translation.
The players will be reunited at Old Trafford next week, but it is unlikely to have any influence on the player’s relationship or cause any worry to manager Alex Ferguson.
Rooney has become involved in more high profile cases. The media made a lot of his return to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo after the World Cup when Rooney was sent off for a foul. Ronaldo was seen winking in the aftermath of the incident, but both players
returned to play alongside each other at United.
Rooney has also had trouble with his own personal problems this season and was rested for a Premier League match straight after the news broke.
Macheda will see this as a learning curve in his development and manager Alex Ferguson will no doubt have words with the young forward regarding his media interviews.
However, the two players will put Macheda’s media slip to one side as they return to football this weekend.
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