London: Manchester United forward Federico Macheda has joined West London club Queens Park Rangers on a loan deal till the end of the season.
Newly-promoted QPR had made their intentions clear of splashing money in the January transfer window after a dip in form has seen them drop to the lower half of the table from a top-10 place.
QPR manager Neil Warnock is targeting four more players to boost his "small squad" and Italian Macheda becomes the London club's first signing of the new year.
"There is a lot of competition at Manchester United, there are some very good strikers there. But I am still young and I need to get more experience in the Premier League." Macheda told the club's website on Monday.
"I am here to train hard firstly and then I hope to play a big part in the games."
"I was attracted by the challenge and by the players that QPR brought in during the summer,” he added. "There are some very big players at the club now and I am really looking forward to training and playing with them. I also know the fans are very, very passionate, and this interested me also."
The 20-year-old, who has started two League Cup matches this season and made three Premier League appearances as a substitute, also spent time on loan at Sampdoria last season.
Macheda arrived at Old Trafford in 2007 and rose to prominence towards the end of the 2008-09 season with a series of goalscoring cameo appearances. He came on as a substitute to score a superb injury-time winner on his United debut against Aston Villa at Old Trafford in April 2009; but his opportunities have since been limited. The Italian has failed to build on the early promise and break into United’s starting line-up.
Warnock identified the young striker as one of his top January targets as he looks to bolster an attack which has scored just 18 goals in 19 Premier League matches this season.
"This is a great opportunity for both parties," Warnock told the club’s official website.
"Federico is not getting a regular game at United quite obviously because of the quality of the squad they've got. Everybody in the league is in envy of what Sir Alex [Ferguson] has there, but what he is trying to do is get Federico some game time in the Premier League. I am sure he is still a part of their future plans."
"I believe this can really work for us because he is positive and always in and around the box. He can finish too. He puts defenders under pressure, he's a strong lad and he's got a yard of pace as well. If we can get him the ball in the right areas, I am sure he can get us a few goals."
"It's a great way for us to start the January transfer window. I have said all along that we want to get a couple of younger lads in and that's what we are going to do."
Comments
0 comment