The Japanese International has finally arrived at Old Trafford and now Bettor.com analyzes whether he can cement his place amongst the club’s plethora of stars or not.
Go back only two years and even the staunchest of football fans won’t have heard of an unknown commodity called Shinji Kagawa, who at that time was plying his trade in the rigours of the J. League Division 2.
While he was not plying his trade in the illustrious arenas of Europe, those who watched him, knew that he was a diamond in the rough.
German giants Borussia Dortmund were the first ones to realize this and shelled out a modest €350,000 to secure his services in 2010. Kagawa, who was determined to make it big, grasped the opportunity with both hands and lit up the Westfalenstadion during his two year stint there.
Although there were several big names at the helm such as Mario Goetze and Nuri Sahin, the midfielder outshone them all, to carve his name amongst the galaxy of European stars.
After some impressive displays in the Bundesliga, a bidding war ensued and this time big money was involved. The pack, led by Manchester United, was willing to fork up to £20 million and eventually enticed Dortmund into parting ways with their main man.
The Red Devils won the race to sign him a few days ago and could possibly make him one of the best signings of the summer.
Kagawa, though blessed with undoubted talent and skill, still remains humble and is committed to proving himself at the world’s biggest club. Recently, he rejected Sir Alex Ferguson’s offer of donning the number seven shirt, as he considers it to be above him for the time being.
His professionalism easily shines through and his commitment means that Fergie can utilize in him a variety of formations to suit every opponent.
The Scot is the only manager in top football that still uses wingers to exploit the defence and will be keen to make sure that Kagawa can settle into his system.
Two wingers on each flank, attack with unrelenting pace to beat their markers and put in crosses for the target man. In the centre of the park, usually plays Scholes, the man Kagawa is brought in to replace.
While the midfield maestro is at a level of his own, the new signing offers something radically different, an eye for goal and an ability to drift past defenders, something which can be of great use in attack.
So it all boils down to Ferguson’s preference, he can either use Kagawa in an unfamiliar central role or go for a fundamentally different system that if worked, would give United the edge over everyone in the Premier League.
Michael Carrick has proven that he is an excellent interceptor, making 3.1 tackles per game and chipping in with 2.5 key interceptions to help the back-line. Furthermore, the ex-Tottenham star has a pass completion rate of 89.8%, meaning that Ferguson does not have to worry about Kagawa consistently tracking back.
Instead he can choose to play him with Wayne Rooney behind the striker in an unorthodox 4-1-4-1 formation, in which the Japanese star and his English counterpart will be the main attacking fulcrums.
Rooney’s energy coupled with Kagawa’s guile could prove to be a killer combination and one that wrestles back the Premiership title from the Etihad back to the Red half of Manchester, but only if Ferguson gives his go-ahead that is.
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