Shinji Kagawa - Manchester United's Samurai

Having signed the Japanese international Shinji Kagawa from Borussia Dortmund, there are doubts and question marks over how the Red Devils will stack up in attack next season and where exactly this Samurai will fit at Old Trafford. Most people seem to think that Kagawa is the long term replacement for Paul Scholes, despite him being a completely different player. He is certainly not! The addition of Kagawa to the mix should only increase United' depth of attacking options.

He is both style and substance, using his creativity and gorgeous footwork to wreak havoc in opposing back fields. He plays with a crowd-pleasing flair, but gets results at the same time. If he can also gel with the young crop of Cleverly, Tunnicliffe, Norwood, Pogba, Lingard in the upcoming years - surely 

United will have a promising squad that brims with excellence.

The 23-year-old has a fine goal scoring record with 86 goals in 198 club appearances to date. Manchester United has not relied on midfielders scoring much in the past four years, but the extra scoring threat brought by playmakers such as Ashley Young, Nani, Valencia and Kagawa will give added goal scoring prowess behind Rooney, Welbeck and Chicharito. 

Though he can also play on the left wing as he does for his national side , the deal seems to have been agreed as playing just behind the striker as he was frequently in the center of the pitch for Dortmund. He would likely line up in a similar role for Manchester United behind Wayne Rooney, but don't be surprised if Rooney drops deep and Kagawa thrusts forward. So , Kagawa may play potently on the left wing , or in the midfield duo , or best may play in the hole behind either rooney / welbeck/ hernandez . He is willing to back himself to succeed , explaining his ambition on refusing to wear the iconic no 7 jersey .

"I've just joined the team and haven't accomplished anything yet," Kagawa told the media scrumb upon landing.  "I want to make a name for myself [at United] on my own terms."

Back in Japan, Kagawa sometimes played as a striker and bagged over 50 goals for Cerezo Osaka before moving to the Bundesliga. The interchanges that we commonly saw from the Rooney - Welbeck partnership may become a common sight with Kagawa - Rooney. His defensive contribution is questionable,but dont be fooled by his stature - he is a strong tackler and good header of the ball ; he does work hard which means he wont sidestep defensive responsibilities for just offensive returns.

Switching to 4-2-3-1 could prove a masterstroke as it would utilize Kagawa properly as well as allow Scholes - Carrick to operate deep alongwith our defensive issues with marauding runs from Evra , Rafael. But the players likely to suffer from this setup are going to be Park , Giggs and Hernandez who will be employed for limited time presence on the field. He perfectly fits into 4-4-1-1 , but why not try altering when it's beneficial for the entire team ?

Apart from the customary 4-4-1-1 & the suggested 4-3-2-1 ; why not a 4-1-2-1-2 formation ??

GK: De Gea
LB: Evra/Fabio CB: Vidic/Smalling CB: Evans/Ferdinand RB: Rafael/Jones
CDM: Carrick/Scholes/Fletcher
LM: Nani/Young RM: Valencia/Park
CAM: Kagawa
LS: Rooney RS: Welbeck/Hernandez

It is mandatory that fans should keep their patience & shouldn't immediately expect Kagawa to replicate his Bundesliga prowess , as the EPL is a challenging league and it will take to adjust to the various scenarios. As it proved this season even 89 goals are not enough to ensure the title , it will be interesting to watch Fergie's tactical anarchist ideology on the way the Red Devils setup up in their quest for 20th EPL title .

"The contract was as long as I'd expected from a club [like United]," said a smiling Kagawa. "When I was at [Old Trafford], I thought about how incredible it would be if I could score there."