Manchester United in the summer of 2012, the
attacking midfielder seemed destined for
greatness. Two years on the 25-year-old is back
to the club where he enjoyed so much success
after a troublesome spell at Old Trafford, and has
to start all over again as he aims to become one of
the best players in the world.
It all started fairly encouraging for Kagawa in
England as he netted two goals in his first six
Premier League appearances, yet things quickly
went downhill from there on.
The midfielder was hit by physical problems early
in the season and spent several weeks on the
sidelines due to a knee injury. Kagawa often had to
settle for either a position on the bench or on the
left wing rather than his preferred No.10 position
when returning to full match fitness, and he
struggled to live up to the high expectations in a
less prominent role. Only in the 4-0 win over
Norwich did the creative midfielder show why
United was so desperate to lure him away from
Dortmund as he netted a hat trick, but
performances like that were few and far between.
After one year of getting used to his new
surroundings and finding his feet in a different
league, Kagawa seemed determined to really make
his mark under new manager David Moyes in
2013-14.
The arrival of Moyes only meant more trouble for
the Japan international, though. Kagawa never felt
the ex-Everton manager’s faith and he made just
14 starts in the Premier League all season in what
was a poor campaign for both club and player.
There’s no denying that the Kobe native has plenty
of potential, yet he never really showed his true
self at United for a number of reasons. Neither
Ferguson, nor Moyes, ever really regarded
Kagawa as an undisputed key player and gave him
the attention and confidence he so desperately
needs to get the best out of himself. And when he
did get the nod, the 25-year-old was generally
played out of position as he was pushed out wide
due to the stiff competition for places. Furthermore,
picking up a knee problem at a crucial time just
weeks after arriving at United did not do his
chances any good either.
MORE: Messi takes flight FIFA '15 trailer | Soccer
WAGs | Beautiful fans
It will therefore have been a big relief when Jurgen
Klopp came knocking again this summer and told
Kagawa that he wanted him to return to Dortmund,
a feat quickly recognized by former skipper
Sebastian Kehl.
"You could see that it was a huge relief for Shinji
Kagawa [to have left Manchester United for
Dortmund]," Kehl was quoted as saying by Sport
Bild .
"It was not an easy situation for him at Manchester
in the past few weeks. And then there were some
comments from his coach that prompted him to
return to Dortmund.
"He gets a lot of faith here. Everything that he's
been missing in the past few months, he'll get
back here again."
Indeed, Kagawa will have little reason for concern
that he will not be valued at Dortmund. The
midfielder was a real fan favorite during his first
spell with the club and BVB fans even launched a
campaign on Twitter - #FreeShinji - to show their
support when he was going through a difficult time
at United.
More important, though, is the fact that he has also
been reunited with Klopp. The successful coach is
arguably one of Kagawa's biggest admirers and he
regularly spoke with the midfielder during his time
in Manchester to maintain their strong relationship.
Having Klopp's unconditional support will only
further motivate the Japan star to get back to his
best and relaunch his career at Dortmund.
Kagawa took the first step on the road to
redemption on Saturday as he netted once in
BVB's 3-1 win over Freiburg in his first match
since his return, with Klopp being quick to boost
his protege's confidence after the final whistle.
"The fact that Shinji can play was already known to
us," the 47-year-old said. "Shinji had a great game
and ran until he got a cramp. That is a good sign."
Bigger tests than Freiburg await, though.
Ironically, unlike Manchester United, Kagawa will
be playing Champions League football this season
and there's no better stage to prove his former
employers wrong than European club football's
elite competition. The attacking midfielder had
already left Dortmund when it reached the
Champions League final in 2012-13, but he will be
keen to guide the Bundesliga side to more success
in Europe this term.
On Tuesday, BVB meets Arsenal and rest assured
that the eyes of the English football world will be on
Kagawa as much as on Arsene Wenger's men. And
don't be surprised if he uses this opportunity to
replicate the form that made him so highly rated
two years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment