Kagawa out to follow Rooney, RVP example

Posted Tuesday, June 11, 2013 by Foxsports.com

The 24-year-old moved for big money at the start of last season from Borussia Dortmund to United but struggled to recapture the form which made him such a star in Germany.

Part of the reason was United manager - now retired - Sir Alex Ferguson's frequently played the Japanese out of position.

A knee injury suffered in a Champions League match, which ruled him out for two months, didn't help his cause either but a good end-of-season has restored some confidence back into Kagawa.

And now the Japan international is hoping to build on this with the national team at the Confederations Cup to keep him on course for defining second season in the Barclays Premier League.

"I wasn't satisfied with my overall performance but I played well in the second half of the season and started to get more and more confidence," Kagawa told Sports Illustrated.

"Hopefully, I can keep that going at the Confederations Cup."

"In this business, you need to be like [Wayne] Rooney or [Robin] Van Persie and prove yourself if you want the ball.

"I want to be a player like them, which means I need results."

Prior to last month's Champions League Final at Wembley, Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp said his "heart breaks" when he sees Kagawa's role at United.

"Shinji Kagawa is one of the best players in the world and he now plays 20 minutes at Manchester United - on the left wing! My heart breaks. Really, I have tears in my eyes. Central midfield is
Shinji's best role. He's an offensive midfielder with one of the best noses for goal I ever saw," Klopp told the Guardian.

"But for most Japanese people it means more to play for Man United than Dortmund. We cried for 20 minutes, in each others' arms, when he left."

Kagawa has plenty of reason to be optimistic for next season, though, as United are set to usher in a new era at the club with David Moyes taking charge from the retired Ferguson.

This could potentially hand the Japanese player a fresh start at Old Trafford and a return to his more familiar role of central midfield.