Red sun rising in Japan after Shinji Kagawa's Manchester United deal
NEW HOME: Shinji Kagawa at Manchester United's stadium Old Trafford Shinji Kagawa will have the eyes of the huge football-loving portion of Japans 127m population on him when he begins to forge his new Manchester United career next week.
On Monday, the 23-year-old officially becomes a Red when his four-year contract starts.
Last week, the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder passed his medical, had his work permit rubber-stamped and completed all the formalities of his 17m move.
Later next week he will be introduced at Carrington to the first of his new team-mates as those Reds not involved at Euro 2012 assemble for the beginning of pre-season work.
And the Japanese football followers will put aside any club affinities to follow the fortunes of their biggest ever export.
The English-speaking newspaper Japan Times will also be monitoring Kagawas progress with United in the Premier League and their football writer Andrew McKirdy says Japan is eagerly awaiting the start of the adventure.
In Japan, the country has enormous pride in their players who play elsewhere, he told M.E.N. Sport.
There is such a sense of pride about what Kagawa has achieved. Football fans over here dont tend to support a particular side in Europe, they follow individuals more.
If a Japanese player is doing well abroad then they will follow him. There is great satisfaction about their players doing well away from the country.
But you cannot get a club with a bigger profile in Japan than Manchester United. So the combination of one of their players moving to Old Trafford has caused a stir.
You can imagine how proud they are.
I think they are waiting to see which squad number he is given at United before you start to se! e all th e Kagawa shirts around, but I am sure it will happen.
Sir Alex Fergusons capture of the attacking midfielder came pretty much out of left field.
Only when the Reds boss made a flying visit to watch the German Cup final between Dortmund and Bayern Munich in May did the news leak out that the Japanese player was one of his targets.
Manchester United need to move fast to seal Luka Modric deal
Hasty research by United fans discovered that though hed made a big impact in the Bundesliga, Kagawa was only operating in the Japanese Second Division with Cerezo Osaka up to 2010.
With Reds supporters demanding an influential, established playmaker to spice up Uniteds flagging midfield, the acquisition of Kagawa didnt set the pulses racing.
From lower tier in Japan via Germany to the Premier League seemed a huge jump and a big ask to be the new controller of Uniteds destiny.
But McKirdy explains the chasm isnt as wide as it might appear.
The fact he was in the second division here is not a reflection of his quality, he said.
Players are very loyal in Japan. There is not the same movement around teams. So many will stick with second division sides because of that.
There is not a major difference in the standard either. Players like Uniteds Ji-sung Park and Portos Brazilian forward Hulk both played in the second division and made their names there.
So there shouldnt be too much concern that Kagawa only played at that level before moving to Borussia Dortmund.
There is a perception that hes come from nowhere and he was an unknown before going to Germany.
But he has been around the national team for four years and he was a bit ! of a pro digy when he was younger like Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen were as teenagers.
He has the pedigree but I must admit the level of his success at Dortmund in Europe was a bit of a surprise.
However, I think a lot of fans over here are confident he can make the next jump to Uniteds level. It is a big ask, though, because he is the player it seems who is expected to pull the strings at United and theres not many in history whove done that.
It is a bigger level than anyone in Japanese football has ever been asked to step up to. Better players than Shinji Kagawa have failed at Old Trafford.
But you get the sense that the nation is confident in him and everything he has done so far suggests he can handle new experiences and every new and tougher step up the ladder.
When you compare him and his price to the 30m-plus Chelsea have paid for Eden Hazard, I think United could be getting a bargain.
Shinji is fast, direct and stronger than he looks. And United have bought a good character as well. There is no danger of him getting above himself or giving Ferguson any hassle. He is also very determined. Nothing will throw him off his course.
What are your expectations of Kagawa this season? Have your say.
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On Monday, the 23-year-old officially becomes a Red when his four-year contract starts.
Last week, the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder passed his medical, had his work permit rubber-stamped and completed all the formalities of his 17m move.
Later next week he will be introduced at Carrington to the first of his new team-mates as those Reds not involved at Euro 2012 assemble for the beginning of pre-season work.
And the Japanese football followers will put aside any club affinities to follow the fortunes of their biggest ever export.
The English-speaking newspaper Japan Times will also be monitoring Kagawas progress with United in the Premier League and their football writer Andrew McKirdy says Japan is eagerly awaiting the start of the adventure.
In Japan, the country has enormous pride in their players who play elsewhere, he told M.E.N. Sport.
There is such a sense of pride about what Kagawa has achieved. Football fans over here dont tend to support a particular side in Europe, they follow individuals more.
If a Japanese player is doing well abroad then they will follow him. There is great satisfaction about their players doing well away from the country.
But you cannot get a club with a bigger profile in Japan than Manchester United. So the combination of one of their players moving to Old Trafford has caused a stir.
You can imagine how proud they are.
I think they are waiting to see which squad number he is given at United before you start to se! e all th e Kagawa shirts around, but I am sure it will happen.
Sir Alex Fergusons capture of the attacking midfielder came pretty much out of left field.
Only when the Reds boss made a flying visit to watch the German Cup final between Dortmund and Bayern Munich in May did the news leak out that the Japanese player was one of his targets.
Manchester United need to move fast to seal Luka Modric deal
Hasty research by United fans discovered that though hed made a big impact in the Bundesliga, Kagawa was only operating in the Japanese Second Division with Cerezo Osaka up to 2010.
With Reds supporters demanding an influential, established playmaker to spice up Uniteds flagging midfield, the acquisition of Kagawa didnt set the pulses racing.
From lower tier in Japan via Germany to the Premier League seemed a huge jump and a big ask to be the new controller of Uniteds destiny.
But McKirdy explains the chasm isnt as wide as it might appear.
The fact he was in the second division here is not a reflection of his quality, he said.
Players are very loyal in Japan. There is not the same movement around teams. So many will stick with second division sides because of that.
There is not a major difference in the standard either. Players like Uniteds Ji-sung Park and Portos Brazilian forward Hulk both played in the second division and made their names there.
So there shouldnt be too much concern that Kagawa only played at that level before moving to Borussia Dortmund.
There is a perception that hes come from nowhere and he was an unknown before going to Germany.
But he has been around the national team for four years and he was a bit ! of a pro digy when he was younger like Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen were as teenagers.
He has the pedigree but I must admit the level of his success at Dortmund in Europe was a bit of a surprise.
However, I think a lot of fans over here are confident he can make the next jump to Uniteds level. It is a big ask, though, because he is the player it seems who is expected to pull the strings at United and theres not many in history whove done that.
It is a bigger level than anyone in Japanese football has ever been asked to step up to. Better players than Shinji Kagawa have failed at Old Trafford.
But you get the sense that the nation is confident in him and everything he has done so far suggests he can handle new experiences and every new and tougher step up the ladder.
When you compare him and his price to the 30m-plus Chelsea have paid for Eden Hazard, I think United could be getting a bargain.
Shinji is fast, direct and stronger than he looks. And United have bought a good character as well. There is no danger of him getting above himself or giving Ferguson any hassle. He is also very determined. Nothing will throw him off his course.
What are your expectations of Kagawa this season? Have your say.
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