Man Utd should have signed Luka Modrić instead of Shinji Kagawa

Kagawa not what the doctor ordered for United

Manchester United new boy Shinji Kagawa has described his move to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund as the “greatest challenge” of his career – but it is a challenge he will not be able to overcome on his own.

United need a player in the middle of the park with the ability to be a real game changer, someone who can control the tempo and take over from Paul Scholes, who cannot go on forever.

The 23-year-old Japanese international is not the man for that particular job but he is however a very talented player with an eye for an intricate assist as well as the odd goal.

With Manchester City taking the Premier League title last season, after two triumphant wins over United on the way, the Blue Moon is no longer rising but staring Sir Alex Ferguson’s men straight in the face.

It is arguable that United handed the title to City with their capitulation at home to Everton and their unadventurous tactics at the Etihad.

But United will look to come back stronger than ever on 18 August, and the only way they can do that is by learning to dominate the midfield again.

We know they can score goals already with players like Wayne Rooney in their ranks – so it is difficult to understand the need to bring in another attack-minded player such as the Japanese international.

What is the logic behind investing £17m on yet another forward – would it not have been better to go for someone like Luka Modrić who can slot into the midfield perfectly and allow United to keep the ball against the big boys in the Premier League and Europe, something they have not done for years?

Rooney has been forced to drop back into midfield to look for the ball far too often – with someone like Modrić doing that job for him he could get on with the important business of hitting the back of the net.

Minor setback won’t stop Spurs

When Bayern Munich contrived to throw away the Champions League final it looked like Spurs time at the top table of English football would be over.

Eden Hazard disappeared to a different club in west London, every Spurs player was being linked with moves to Spain, Italy, Germany and Manchester – and any transfer talk went quiet.

Harry Redknapp’s abrupt departure did not look like it would help but rather than collapse, the most attractive team in the Premier League have in fact managed to strengthen, with Gylfi Sigurdsson and now Jan Vertonghen on board.

Gareth Bale has signed a new contract and now it would appear that Emmanuel Adebayor is on the verge of a permanent switch from the North West despite what looked like an impossible conflict in salary expectations.

Modrić’s inevitable departure will of course be a blow, but with more signings expected, Joao Moutinho in particular, Bastian Schweinsteiger’s betrayal of his German heritage and penalty miss might not prove as costly as it first appeared.

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Read more on: luka modric, Manchester United, Shinji Kagawa, Sir Alex Ferguson, Tottenham Hotspur.