In the summer of 2012, the Premier League was graced by the arrival two playmakers with glowing CVs. One of them, Eden Hazard has developed into a Chelsea’s talisman and is in the running for player of the season award. The other, Shinji Kagawa, has had a more complicated journey in English football.
He came to Manchester United having won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund, but has really struggled to fit in to his new surrounding. For those who wonder why, a couple of developments may help with an answer.
Kagawa is a playmaker who best operates behind a central striker, linking up play and creating chances through quick give-and-go passes. His style suited Sir Alex Ferguson’s philosophy, which was based on pace and penetration.
The Japanese star’s quality was highlighted in the last game he played for Borussia Dortmund against Bayern Munich, when he scored the opener and was involved in two others goals as BVB won the DFB-Pokal Cup.
Sir Alex was in the Olympiastadion to witness first-hand the brilliance of Kagawa. He signed him that summer. The signing created a lot of buzz for fans as it also had potential commercial benefits in Japan and Asia as a whole as well as seemingly improving the squad.
But it didn’t work out so smoothly on the field. The problems stemmed from the fact that his move coincided with Robin Van Persie’s.
The Dutch striker displaced the previous options of Javier Hernandez or Danny Welbeck as the focal point of the team without too much fuss. Kagawa naturally played Wayne Rooney’s position but the England striker proved hard to displace.
Sir Alex tried fitting either player in wide areas or in central midfield, but neither seemed particularly interested in their new roles.
David Moyes inherited the problem and gave Rooney the no.10 position. He has tried the Japanese midfielder at the left, but the team suffered as the midfielder struggled to beat defenders at pace or track back effectively.
Now Adnan Januzaj occupies the left-sided midfield role and Ashley Young is the preferred deputy. The record breaking signing of Juan Mata also wants that no.10 position and is second in line if Rooney is not available.
So where does this leave Kagawa? With only eight starts and four substitute appearances, no goals and no assists.
Kagawa may not have the dazzling tricks of Hazard or even his talent, but he is still the talent who dominated Bayern Munich in five of his last six encounters against the Bavarian giants, he still has that keen eye for goal and vision to create chances from different situations.
The 25-year-old is just about to start what should be the most productive years of his career. He has a hard decision to make in summer; he can either fight for his place at United where he is unlikely to be trusted with that role or he can spend this time at another club where he can get more game time in his favourite position.
Meanwhile, Hazard goes from strength to strength at Chelsea; played in his preferred position, given time to develop and ultimately convincing Jose Mourinho that the team should be built around him.
