Former Manchester striker Federico Macheda looks to be back in the reckoning to start a match for Cardiff City after manager Russell Slade stated that the Italian deserves some game time.
After making his move to Cardiff permanent in the summer,Macheda has been looking to kickstart his career. His career has suffered immensely over the last couple of years due to injuries, but he seems to be over those issues of late. Still, it has not helped him regain his form. After managing to put in a great performance in the match against Rotherdam,Macheda appears to have done enough to convince Slade.
The goal against Rotherdam was the first thatMacheda had scored more than 10 matches. His previous goal was against Leeds United back at the start of November. Known affectionately as ‘Kiko’ within the team, Macheda will be getting an opportunity to further impress the manager when he takes to the field against Charlton Athletic. Cardiff City will be hoping for a second consecutive victory, which will push them closer towards the top 10 of the table. Cardiff have not been necessarily good at home and their last win at the Cardiff city stadium was back in January.
“There were a few reasons Kiko wasn’t in my team, including an injury which knocked him back a little bit.He hadn’t played for a good few matches, but he was training really well. I noticed that session after session over a period of 10 days and more. He’s back looking really fit and that sharpness needed was returning.Kiko earned a place in the 18-strong matchday squad for the match against Wolves and that was a sign of his progress,” said Slade. The former Manchester United man has featured in 19 matches for Cardiff and has scored six goals.