How often it occurs in football, the young Premier League debutante bagging a goal on his first appearance and looking a decent prospect, only to find himself languishing in the relative doldrums of the Championship, or lower, just a few short seasons later. Dean Marney is now 32, and as you're probably aware, plays for Burnley.
Another cult hero who needs no introduction to Premier League fans is former Manchester United striker Kiko Macheda, now 24 and plying his trade at Cardiff City.
Macheda burst onto the scene as Martin Tyler burst at the seams; then 17, the Italian netted a last-second winner for United over Aston Villa in April 2009 which evoked some sort of squeal from the Sky Sports commentator, following it up with the decisive goal at Sunderland not a week later.
The one-time prospect has seen 18-year-old striker Marcus Rashford make the same meteoric rise from United's supposedly fading under-age system to senior level, and he hinted to reporters that the young Mancunian must learn from Macheda's own mistakes to establish himself at Old Trafford:
Marcus needs to continue working hard, don't grow a big head, don't read or listen to all the hype and be lucky with injuries,
he said.
The kid has got a great chance to play more than I had, so he must stay as calm and hungry as he is now. United will look after him, so everything is stacked in his favour.
During the 2009/10 pre-season, Alex Ferguson praised Macheda as having the best finishing ability in a United squad that included Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen, but injuries and subsequent stagnation would ultimately prevent the Italian from developing into the player many predicted he could become.
Still, Macheda has no hard feelings towards Ferguson or United about his departure in 2014, and thinks Rashford will enjoy his new-found limelight:
Sir Alex met my parents because he wanted me protected and to take things in the right direction. He wanted to make sure I'd continue working hard and not let any hype have a bad influence on me.
After I scored those goals, when I went out I had people stopping me and giving me attention. I didn't expect it. It was actually fun because it's nice when people like what you've done and show their appreciation. I'm sure Marcus will be enjoying the positive attention he's getting.
H/T: ESPN
