Shinji Kagawa’s time at Manchester United has been stop-start to say the least, with a patchy and at times uninspiring first season under Alex Ferguson, the Japanese playmaker has been a major talking point in the early months of David Moyes’ reign in Manchester. The diminutive attacking midfielder has struggled to ever really stamp his authority on the side in a run of matches, despite flashes of the ability that earned him the move from Borussia Dortmund.
With the variety of tactical systems employed at Old Trafford, Kagawa found himself hardly getting a minute on the pitch for the first few fixtures as he sat matches out on the bench and several poor results let to further calls for Japan’s key creator to be given a chance to flourish – although it hasn’t ever been quite that simple. Once the availability of Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney is re-established after recovery from the Dutchman’s latest injury, further questions will be made over Kagawa’s place in the team – as the puzzle to fit the three of them into a starting line-up (and reap the sufficient rewards of that risk) is growing in complications without dropping Rooney deeper into midfield it sees Kagawa play out-wide, where he’s been largely marginalised and anonymous in his time at Manchester United.
Kagawa’s game is not suited to the wide-role that he has often been deployed in at United, with minute physical presence and a game relying on touch and guile, he hardly provides a balance to the powerhouse right midfield engine of Antonio Valencia. The balance of the side is heavily compromised when Kagawa and Valencia are used as the wingers and when pushed out wide last weekend, the Japanese wizard drifted out of the game – questioning why Moyes would not use a proper winger if that is the requirement of Kagawa?
Having only started 5 premier league games this season, Kagawa’s absence from the side has been a common finger-pointing tool when results have been less than favourable at times under Moyes, but the Scot faces a similar battle to Ferguson to negotiate balanced tactics with fitting the diminutive playmaker into the side. Kagawa’s stats in his premier league season to date (although a small sample) are largely uninspiring, averaging 0.7 shots and key passes per game is insufficient for such a potentially influential player, perhaps never destined to fulfil a match winning regular potential at Old Trafford.
Where will Kagawa’s career lead him? Perhaps a return to mainland Europe, there’s every chance his Manchester United career could flourish, with a quality player anything can happen but a dramatic formation shift would be needed to find a regular favourite position for Kagawa to embark on a name-making season or two. However, fitting both Kagawa and Rooney into the side would require Rooney to fulfil the number 9 role, which leaves out van Persie – who almost single handedly won the title last season – and this won’t be happening any time soon, all of this supports the rumours of a return to Dortmund, which would provide its own problems. With his number 10 position being filled by Henrikh Mkhitaryan, doesn’t give any answers to bringing Kagawa’s future away from an isolated wing position – he needs a space in a team and perhaps the team built with him in mind, a lot to ask of a player who hasn’t featured significantly for 18 months.
With a lot of competition wherever his future lies, Kagawa’s potential is high, but fulfilling this in the modern day fiercely talented world of the number 10 may require adaptation in the Japanese’s game or a move to a ‘lesser’ club for a career boost, envisaging a move to a fellow Premier League side seems starkly unlikely but may be his best career move at this point in time. A natural number 10, just lacking the all round game of an in-form and sensational Wayne Rooney, Kagawa looks a little lost with United at times, but would be a significant loss if Moyes chooses to lose his Asian super star, a player that many clubs would be battling over if available.
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