Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed plans to send Kiko Macheda away on-loan.
Ferguson is anxious to stress the move is purely short-term and that Macheda has a big Old Trafford future.
"I had a chat with Federico and explained the Welbeck situation," said Ferguson. "It can pan out exactly the same for him. It would be the same thing, going to a club, getting that experience for six months and coming back to us a better player.
"The reason we let Danny Welbeck and Mame Biram Diouf go was that they are young and they need games. And with Welbeck it has proved the point that through consistent, regular football, you can progress dramatically.
"Okay, in the previous two years he played in two cup finals and an FA Cup semi-final. But in a consistent nature he didn't have enough football to produce the kind of performances we are seeing now. He has been fantastic for Sunderland and must eventually get in the England squad. That is exactly what we wanted."
