Kagawa makes himself useful

Recent addition from Japan led Man United over Shenhua, 1-0

So far, Shinji Kagawa has been a bargain.

The 23-year-old Japanese international has fit right in with Manchester United this summer, impressing his coach and becoming the team's new ambassador in Asia after South Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung moved to Queens Park Rangers.

Japanese and South Korean players serving in the top European leagues are often among Chinese fans' favorites.

With Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka absent, Kagawa enjoyed the spotlight in United's friendly against Chinese Super League team Shanghai Shenhua on Wednesday, and scored the only goal of the game.

"I am delighted he has chosen to come to United. I believe he will make an impact upon the team very quickly as he is suited to United's style of play," said manager Sir Alex Ferguson. "Kagawa was man of the match, and I thought he deserved that.

"One of the features of our game over the years now has been the speed of our counter-attacking. Antonio Valencia is good at that, but Kagawa adds to that.

"But more than that, I think (he also distinguished himself with) his awareness of receiving the ball and speed of turning defenders - that's going to be an asset for us."

The game had been expected to feature a clash between United and the former Chelsea frontline of Drogba and Anelka.

The duo didn't play because Shenhua faces a tough match against defending league champion Guangzhou Evergrande on Saturday night.

Ferguson said Drogba's move to Shenhua will help out the rest of the English Premier League.

"He is a goal scorer in big games, finals - he's incredible," Ferguson said. "He won the cup (Champions League) for Chelsea. He scored that header with two minutes to go, the first corner kick (for Chelsea). Only Drogba has the ability to score that goal."

Ferguson, who has spent 26 of his 38 years as a coach with United, said it's crucial for a coach to keep pace with the changing world.

"First of all, you have to sacrifice a lot of yourself and you have to spend a lot of energy - it is how you engage the players," Ferguson said. "You have to face the media and fans, and you also have to win games. You have to have a good personality to face the modern world. There are a lot of issues to being a manager. It is very different from a long time ago, and you have to change yourself. This characteristic certainly helps me.

"I think I still have a couple of (coaching) years left. Of course, I still look forward to winning the title next time."

tangzhe@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/27/2012 page9)