Is Shinji Kagawa heading for the exit at Old Trafford?

Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa expressed his disappointment at being subbed off at half time during their 2-1 loss to West Brom last Saturday after the game. This is not the first time that Kagawa has found himself down the pecking order at United as he struggled to nail down a regular place under Sir Alex. Even still he managed to make 20 league appearances last season and signs early on are that he will find it hard to match that this season having played just 45 minutes of Premier League football so far. 

Kagawa scored 6 league goals last season including a hat trick against Norwich

The £17m man's preferred position is undoubtedly the number 10 role, sat just behind the striker; something Moyes himself conceded in his post match interview. To make that position his own though he will have to dislodge arguably United's best player so far this season in Wayne Rooney. Surely there are ways and means of including Kagawa and Rooney in the same team without resorting to placing Kagawa on the left wing. He does not possess the strength and pace to operate on the wing and putting him out there is a waste in my opinion. This is after all a player that worked so well in the number 10 role at Borussia Dortmund winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double. 

The problem is that Man United play a system that emphasises the use of wingers to exploit the flanks and get behind the defensive line to create chances. They are far too over reliant on this system and would do well to find other systems of play against opponents. The 4-2-3-1 formation is one that could work and would include Shinji. Chelsea played this way for much of last season with Torres up front and Mata, Oscar and Hazard used as three interchangeable attacking midfielders. 

United fans throughout the summer were crying out for Moyes to invest in a creative midfielder to no avail. In fact the creative midfielder they are looking for already sits among the United ranks and they would do well to utilise him better. As a United fan myself I would love to see him play more as he is one of the most naturally gifted players we have. I would not blame him if he wanted to leave though and he still has admirers at his old club Borussia Dortmund. This is what his former manager Juergen Klopp had to say earlier this year. 

"Shinji Kagawa is one of the best players in the world and he now plays 20 minutes at Manchester United – on the left wing! My heart breaks." 

Whether Shinji's United career will be a long successful one, time will tell, but I doubt it myself. For now though he seems set on trying to win a place back in the team.