I thought I had made it at Manchester United - Kobbie Mainoo can't make the same mistake

Former Manchester United wonderkid Federico Macheda has urged Kobbie Mainoo not to take his foot off the gas if he wishes to become an icon at Old Trafford.

The Italian forward burst onto the scene at Old Trafford in April 2009 when he scored a superb winner against Aston Villa. That would be one of only five goals he scored for the Red Devils and after loan spells at QPR, Stuttgart, Doncaster Rovers and Birmingham City, Macheda would leave United permanently in 2014.

15 years after that wonder strike in the Premier League, another teenage sensation scored a near identical goal against Liverpool last weekend. Mainoo has been a revelation for United since breaking into the first team back in November and looks destined to go to the European Championships this summer with England.

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In an interview with The Sun, Macheda warned Mainoo to avoid following his path at Old Trafford. "After that goal [vs Aston Villa] maybe I felt I made it. I was unaware about what came next," he explained.

"I thought that more of the same was enough but you should always raise the bar to maintain those standards. And it was easy to grow too big for your boots for a person with my background.

"I was brought up in a way where it’s impossible to stay grounded and when you’re young you don’t look at the bigger picture. But I should have done more.

"With hindsight, I know that if I had grafted the way I do now, I’d have had more chances. The way Mainoo is playing it looks as if he’s been there for ten years.

"But what’s paramount is that he keeps going. He’ll get help because when you play every week people take extra care of you