Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell set for key roles during Manchester United summer tour of China and South Africa
Manchester United new-boys Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell will play key roles in the club’s summer tour of South Africa and China.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s £12million signing Kagawa will play in front of thousands of fans in Southeast Asia as playmaker looks to carve a role for himself in the squad.
The 23-year-old will also be joined by 18-year-old Powell, signed from Crewe, as numerous first-team players are missing through injury and international commitments.
"It's obviously very difficult in a year when we have had a Euro tournament and we also have the Olympics this year," said Ferguson.
"The final squad hasn't been decided yet but we will be taking the strongest team we have available.
"We are all looking forward to the pre-season tour.
"I am delighted that our new newest signings, Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell, will be in the travelling squad along with more established players such as Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Ji Sung-Park."
Ferguson added: "I have always said how important it is to get a good pre-season behind us.
"We saw the impact a good pre-season had on the start of last year's campaign."
The Reds will also go head-to-head with Catalan giants Barcelona in a pre-season friendly hosted in Gothenburg on August 8.
In China, the club will face ex-Chelsea stars Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka at their new team Shanghai Shenhua but details for the second game are yet to be confirmed.
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