As I’m sure everybody knows, Manchester United have had their fair share of problems this season.
This probably isn’t the most shocking revelation you may have heard and pundits and fans alike have been all too quick to explain how David Moyes could and should change things.
A lot of the solutions being thrown around involve Shinji Kagawa, the Japanese playmaker signed in the summer of 2012 to much excitement around Old Trafford.
Fast forward eighteen months and Kagawa cuts a lonely figure on the sidelines after being restricted to just seven league starts this season.
As a result, there has been plenty of speculation about the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder’s future, with a number of top German clubs allegedly queuing up to bring him back to the Bundesliga.
All of this begs the question; is Kagawa worth more to David Moyes as a sellable asset or as an integral member of the squad?
The answer to this question may be down to the future of Wayne Rooney, who would ordinarily occupy Kagawa’s preferred position just in behind the central striker.
If, as reported, Rooney is still fancying a move away from Old Trafford and United chose to sell him rather than running his contract down and losing him for nothing, the road will be clear for Kagawa to play in the central role he craves.
You only have to look at the league game against Swansea at Old Trafford to see what kind of impact he can have in that role. With Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher playing behind him, it is probably the only time I have seen United truly dominate a midfield this season.
His creative talents and his ability to find pockets of space seem to be what United have been missing for most of this season, but he still finds himself on the sidelines more often than not.
When Rooney is fit, he will play in that role and given that he seems a rejuvenated player since being asked to play in behind the lone striker, it would be foolish to leave him out.
However, with Rooney currently injured, Moyes has preferred the likes of Ashley Young ahead of the Japanese international, so it makes you wonder whether he would be more valuable if he was sold.
There would no doubt be plenty of suitors should Kagawa be made available for transfer and his elusive abilities mean that he would be a valuable asset for most of Europe’s top teams.
Having signed him for £12 million, I’m pretty sure United would at least break even on him should they decide to sell him.
To many United fans, his continued ostracization is a mystery as they know what he would bring to a side that has struggled for consistency in this transitional season.
At Dortmund his ability to create something out of nothing often won games even if the team as a whole was not at the races.
If United are to get their aura back, they need more players with that kind of ‘X-factor’.
What’s more strikers like Robin van Persie would much prefer to play in a team containing someone with Kagawa’s talents; having someone like him in their side makes their job so much easier.
If they sell him, they will find themselves much worse off. It may turn out to be a case of ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.’
Image courtesy of MUTV via YouTube, with thanks
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