Italian ladies man steals the show at Old Trafford

After seeing his side steal a last minute winner against Fulham on Saturday, Rafa Benitez was enjoying his Sunday evening a little more more than usual, thanks to Manchester Utd’s imminent slip-up against Aston Villa. But just when the Spaniard thought he had gained two points on his bitter rivals, a 17-year-old reserve team striker whipped in a fantastic curling winner. “Who is this guy?” asked Benitez, nearly choking on his paella. Here’s The Spoiler’s guide to Manchester Utd’s latest sensation, Federico Macheda:

• Macheda was born in Rome on 22 August, 1991, which makes us feel incredibly old.

• He started his career playing for Lazio, but signed for Utd shortly after his sixteenth birthday.

• After joining the Red Devils in 2007, he became the Under-18 side’s top scorer, with 12 goals in 21 appearances.

• He may use more hair gel than Cristiano Ronaldo.

• On his seventeenth birthday, he signed his first professional contract, and made his way into Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s reserve team.

• Ferguson recently said of him: “The young boy Macheda is progressing exceptionally well in the youth team and Reserves. He’s a big lad now, he’s improved physical. He’s been doing fantastically well and we’re really pleased with him.”

• Last week, he scored a hat-trick for the reserves against Newcastle:

• He is on Facebook.

• His nickname is ‘Kiko’. God knows why.