Kagawa backed to shine for United

davestrousers - I'm no Utd fan, but you have look back further than just last year to judge whether they're a big club or not. The fact still remains that they've won 14 or whatever Premier League titles, have one of the biggest 'brands' (if not the biggest) in world football alongside Barcelona and Real Madrid, have had countless star players who are recognised worldwide, have a manager who is widely respected as being one of the best ever, and are a pretty iconic club as far as their history goes. Dortmund are a successful team domestically and have won the Champs League too, but you're clutching at straws trying to claim that they're a 'bigger club'.

tmarie - looks like Utd didn't care about his English ability after all...unsurprisingly. He'll do well - he has some great players to learn from, and a manager who is experienced in making young players with potential into stars. Best move for him in my book.

Very conflicted over this.Hate Manchester United, love Kagawa. He will do well there.

@davestrousers

Fair enough, I misunderstood what you were getting at - but I still think bearing in mind what I wrote about Utd, you could still consider this as being a 'step-up' for Kagawa. I agree that the article is a bit patronising towards Dortmund, but I think for most players in Europe, it's about playing for a team who are regularly challenging for their League and Champions League titles. Dortmund tick the first box looking at this past season and one before that, but they haven't had a decent CL run past the 2nd round since they won it like 15 years ago. Utd were terrible in the CL last season, but you can't deny that they are consistent challengers.

@Dog

"Man Utd would have much prefered to have Hazard"

As always, you talk as if you know some kind of secret information that only you have access to, although you are only making a biased assumption.

It's a good habit to list a source when you make claims, although you probaly can't since your opinions are based on nothing.

I think Mr Kagawa will do well. Sure - some of them cynics in England are saying he is just there to sell shirts - but look at Mr Park and what he did. He was great for a long time for Man U, helping them to silverware. Yes - he sold plenty of shirts in Korea and Asia - but he also did the business on field - as Kagawa will too I hope. As long as he never scores against West Ham I'm happy!

I hope Kagawa does well, I just wish the rabid Japanese "fans" would not be so annoying

I know what you mean about Japanese soccer 'fans'... I was living in Japan during the 1986 and 1990 World Cups and nobody showed any interest in the tournament.. you were lucky to see more than 30 seconds of any game (including the finals) on television...

There are many things in modern football that annoy me, but the fact that moving from the German champions to an English team that won nothing last year is perceived as moving to a "big club" really grates. I hope that Dortmund can meet United in the Champions League next year and show this big club how to play football, much in the same way that Basle and Athletico Bilbao did this year.

@cubic

I absolutely did not say that Manchester United are a bigger club than Dortmund.

The quotes in article repeatedly say things like he "deserves to be playing for a top club". This is totally insulting to Dortmund. Other quotes like - "Real deal"?!! - what rubbish. Dortmund have a better team than United!

cubicJun. 07, 2012 - 09:56AM JST

tmarie - looks like Utd didn't care about his English ability after all...unsurprisingly. He'll do well - he has some great players to learn from, and a manager who is experienced in making young players with potential into stars

More like the Glazier Bros slumming it in the transfer market. Man Utd would have much prefered to have Hazard, but when they couldn't compete with Chelski for the price, they went for the cheapy Asian player who will be shining the sub's seat for the season, but will pay his way in the extra revenue from team shirts sold in Japan.

@Dog

"As always, you talk as if you know some kind of secret information that only you have access to, although you are only making a biased assumption. It's a good habit to list a source when you make claims, although you probaly can't since your opinions are based on nothing.

Duhh my evidence is based on pretty solid ground, but apart from that you must be really dumb if you think they'd prefer a monolingual lightweight who has never played in an aggressive league to the first non-Frenchman to win the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Young Player of the Year award.

As for Ferg being short of cash, it's pretty well known, you just have to read more than Japan Today to know that the Glazers are up to their eyes in debt and have made very limited financial resources available for the transfer market.

I absolutely did not say that Manchester United are a bigger club than Dortmund.

sorry meant:

I absolutely did not say that Manchester United are NOT a bigger club than Dortmund.

He,ll more than likely be shining the bench for a while before he even get,s a chance to be in the starting 11.. Sir Alex has bought him in to ignite some interest for Man U and the EPL in general for that part of the world... Good luck to him!!

All the people who have been fans of Man U in Japan for YEARS will all of a sudden be wearing his shirt. Even though they will of course have been fans for a LONG time, they'll only have the new Kagawa shirt and will have never even heard of Cantona unless he's mentioned in the Man U guidebook that will be on sale at every convenience store in the land; or on the news just about every night from now on until he ends up warming the benches then gets homesick and come back to fade into one of the J-League teams like almost every other Japanese player that has been in Europe.

“Kagawa meets the club’s need to find a player who can feed decisive passes to England forward Rooney and organise their midfield,” said a commentary in Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

I seriously doubt he's going to walk in and start "organizing their midfield". He's 23, small, and has never played in an aggressive league. He'll do what he's told.

I hope Kagawa does well, I just wish the rabid Japanese "fans" would not be so annoying.