Former Manchester United graduate Federico Macheda has said that he is motivated to perform for Panathinaikos whom he has joined on a three-year deal. The 27-year-old was available on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract with Italian minnows Novara and he has now taken up the opportunity to revive his career with the 20-time Greek champions.

Speaking at his unveiling, he said: “It’s a great pleasure to be here. I’ve been looking forward to signing. Panathinaikos was my first choice.When Panathinaikos proposes, you don’t deny it. The manager convinced me. When you have the coach’s confidence, it’s a big deal.To Panathinaikos I have the greatest motivation I have ever had. I’m thinking about what I’ll accomplish day by day.”

Meanwhile, Macheda credited former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson in assisting him during his initial development which involved him making the breakthrough into the Red Devils first-team, he said: “I have worked with the most successful coach, Sir Alex Ferguson. He was always there for me. I’m proud to have worked with the top.”

Macheda was regarded as a top prospect in the United ranks and he made the perfect league debut against Aston Villa in April 2009 where he came off the bench to score the winner which eventually handed his team the title. However, in the seasons thereafter, he could not make much of an impression with a number of loan spells away from the club and he was eventually offloaded on a permanent basis to Cardiff City during the summer of 2016.

From then, Macheda struggled to make an impact with the South Wales club for a couple of seasons after which he made the return to Italy with Novara. With the Serie C side, Macheda netted just 11 goals from over 50 appearances but he will be hoping for a better showing in the Greek Superleague.