Shinji Kagawa: My time at Manchester United helped me to grow
Shinji Kagawa believes his spell at Manchester United helped him to grow, even though he struggled to command a regular place in the side during his time at Old Trafford.
Kagawa provided some glimpses of his ability at United, but he struggled to perform consistently and returned to Borussia Dortmund after just two years.
As reported by Four Four Two, the 27-year-old said: “I was still young, just 24 or 25. I had a lot of experiences there and that helped me grow, and looking back I wasn’t concerned about anything, just focusing on doing the best I could.
“Of course there were good players there but everyone thinks differently; the Dortmund coach is the Dortmund coach, and the Manchester United coach is the Manchester United coach, and I just have to accept how everything went.”
Asked what he could have improved upon during his time at United, Kagawa said: “Fight more, every day – even a small player like me should fight every day to succeed at a club like Manchester United and it’s the same now at Dortmund
“I just have to focus on how I can get better every day to try to succeed at this level. Of course, you also have to be mentally strong.”
Kagawa may well look back upon his time at United with regret. He was part of the side that won the Premier League title in 2013, but he soon found himself on the periphery of proceedings following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Dortmund will be determined to keep hold of Kagawa this summer, with several teams likely to be interested in signing the 27-year-old.
Thomas Tuchel’s side finished second in the Bundesliga but were ten points adrift of champions Bayern Munich and will be seeking to stage a serious title challenge next time around