Sir Alex Ferguson is convinced that Shinji Kagawa will show his form for Manchester United next season as the Japanese midfielder continues to adapt to the physical nature of the Barclays Premier League. United signed Kagawa from German champions Borussia Dortmund last summer for £12million but has been in so-so form since recovering from a knee injury that kept him out for 2 months.
Having scored 2 goals in his first 6 games with the club, the 23-year-old has since failed to score in his last 10 appearances, most recently in the Champions League Wednesday where United drew 1-1 against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu. He was withdrawn after 64 minutes for veteran winger Ryan Giggs. Ferguson must be aware of the concerns, but he continues to back the player, convinced that he will improve significantly next season. “There’s a physicality to the English game which is different from Germany, but next year he’ll be better,” he said. Ferguson explained that in the German league you can’t foul much and players usually avoid physically tackling others, which is vastly different from the English style of play.
“I thought in the first half-hour in Madrid he was terrific and he was making some great runs through them. He was just unlucky with a couple of heavy touches on the ball. If people don’t see that, it’s actually unfair,” Ferguson concluded.
Having defended the Japanese international, Ferguson must still decide whether to use Kagawa for Monday’s FA Cup tie at Old Trafford to Reading. United are still fighting for silverware on three fronts, and he feels that rotating his lineup will help the team – which he has already declared as stronger than his ’99 treble winning side – to cope with the demands of all three competitions.
[ via Daily Mail UK ]