Another new hero.

After two sub-par matches and 80 minutes into a third one, Manchester United reverted back to its attacking - and winning - form. The final 10 minutes of the Villa match saw again an intimidating United, one that can impose its will on a match.

Sir Alex Ferguson again transformed a desperate situation into magic. His revelation this time was reserve Federico Macheda, the 17-yr-old unknown who came in as a 60th-minute substitute. The gamble paid off and 30 minutes later - what a goal, what a goal, what a goal! An impeccable Cruyff-turn past his defender and Macheda calmly blasted the ball into goal, giving United  full points and the league lead. It was as imperious a goal as Keano's 1999 header v Juve, with equal effects on the team and the crowd.

What a debut for Macheda. He demanded the ball throughout his time on the pitch, attacking with a gusto that would make Rooney blush. Yet he remained in control of himself, the mark of a player ready for his next step in development. Who knows if he will be able to keep this up but the indications are that he has the maturity to get more appearances this season. The goal was only the exclamation point on his run out.

What makes this particularly enjoyable is that Ferguson had limited options with Rooney and Berbatov unavailable. The expectations were that Welbeck would be called upon, and when Macheda was announced, it was surely a surprise to most.

Within seconds of coming on, though, I had a feeling that Sir Alex had made another brilliant move in a career full of them. The man who oversaw the rise of the fabled Golden Generation has also given so many the opportunity to launch themselves into greatness, be they relative unkowns or those not yet where they could be. 

The names trip off the tongue: Schmeichel. Cantona. Stam. Heinze. Evra. Vidic. Ronaldo. 

These days: Rafael. Welbeck. Evans. Anderson. Nani. And now, perhaps, Macheda. 

Some clubs suffer continual rebuilding periods, while others build one championship team but cannot replicate the magic. Ferguson is building his fourth group of champions. 

Ferguson's genius is not just finding and nurturing talent, or even buying it. It lies in slotting that talent seamlessly into existing squads.  Just ask Arsene Wenger, who is nearly as successful at identifying talent - perhaps more so - but has not yet been able to reach the top since his Invincibles ran roughshod over the league five years ago.

For any Manchester United supporter, watching Sir Alex develop players the way he does is one of the joys of following the team. 

Watching United win consistently - well, that is one of the privileges of supporting an Alex Ferguson-led side.