Neville: Kagawa can ´become a real sensation´

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville believes new signing Shinji Kagawa could be ‘a real sensation’ at the club.

The 23-year-old joined for a reported fee of 12 million pounds at the start of the transfer window after months of speculation about the move.

The Japanese international, who scored 13 goals in 31 games last season, could have a big impact on the club, according to Neville, who says he is excited to see him begin his career at Old Trafford.

“As for the transition into the English game, I think it should be easy for (Kagawa). He’s played at (Borussia) Dortmund, a very professional football club and one of the biggest in Germany. He won’t have any trouble adjusting to the English game,” Neville told the club’s website.

“I’m really excited about watching him play and seeing how he fits in with the other talented players in this squad. He’s had a fantastic couple of seasons at Dortmund, who have been magnificent in Germany.

“It’s not easy to knock Bayern Munich off their perch. And if you look at the performances, Kagawa has played a big part in that.

“He might be one of these lads that comes to United and sneaks under the radar a little bit. He’s not what you’d class as one of Europe’s stellar names at the moment.

“But he could be somebody who has the same sort of impact as Chicharito (Javier Hernandez) or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and go on to become a real sensation for United.”

Neville also said that pre-season will help Kagawa settle with his new team-mates, and that he will be made to feel welcome immediately.

He said: “The manager’s philosophy has always been to get deals done early and get the new players on tour so they can see what the dressing room is like and settle in.

“You can guarantee that by the end of the tour they’ll feel like they’ve been a Manchester United player for a long time.”