Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes the club have
done well to get both Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell to the club.
The club unveiled their two new signings as they look to begin their pre-season preparations ahead of the coming campaign, and Ferguson remained keen to say how closely both players had been followed before the club decided to make a move for them.
“First of all, they’re young and we’ve been scouting them both for quite a while now,” Ferguson told reporters.
“Shinji obviously has a higher profile than Nick because (Borussia) Dortmund have had such a fantastic time in the last two years and he came to prominence through that.
“Our scout in Germany was talking about him for a quite while, so we scouted him and decided he was the right type of player we needed at the club.”
The 23-year-old Japanese international midfielder enjoyed a successful two-year stay at Borussia Dortmund, winning the league title in both seasons at the club, and Ferguson remains excited by what the player promises.
He added: “Shinji plays in behind the striker. He’s very quick, has a good vision of the game and his goalscoring record over the last two or three years is very good for that position.
“It was good that he was with a successful team to help him adapt to European football.
“Now he is at that stage where he is a maturing player and over the next few years we will see that at United. It’s a good time for him to come to us.
“We shouldn’t be looking at one player changing the way we play, but he could make a difference.
“He can give us that bit extra in the final third of the field. If his goalscoring record continues he could be a very good player for us.”
Ferguson was also quick to dismiss any suggestion that Kagawa may struggle to adapt to his new surroundings in England, saying his new charge should have no trouble learning the language.
Alongside Kagawa, the club also presented 18 year-old former Crewe prodigy Nick Powell, who had a breakthrough year in League Two, finishing the league campaign with 14 goals, including a sensational volley in the play-off final.
Ferguson said the club had tracked Powell for some time, but decided to move for him shortly before the end of last season, saying he sees his future in a more reserved midfield role.
“We were watching Nick from when he first came into the Crewe team last November and did very well,” Ferguson said. “It got towards the tail-end of the season and we got more serious about him.”
The club unveiled their two new signings as they look to begin their pre-season preparations ahead of the coming campaign, and Ferguson remained keen to say how closely both players had been followed before the club decided to make a move for them.
“First of all, they’re young and we’ve been scouting them both for quite a while now,” Ferguson told reporters.
“Shinji obviously has a higher profile than Nick because (Borussia) Dortmund have had such a fantastic time in the last two years and he came to prominence through that.
“Our scout in Germany was talking about him for a quite while, so we scouted him and decided he was the right type of player we needed at the club.”
The 23-year-old Japanese international midfielder enjoyed a successful two-year stay at Borussia Dortmund, winning the league title in both seasons at the club, and Ferguson remains excited by what the player promises.
He added: “Shinji plays in behind the striker. He’s very quick, has a good vision of the game and his goalscoring record over the last two or three years is very good for that position.
“It was good that he was with a successful team to help him adapt to European football.
“Now he is at that stage where he is a maturing player and over the next few years we will see that at United. It’s a good time for him to come to us.
“We shouldn’t be looking at one player changing the way we play, but he could make a difference.
“He can give us that bit extra in the final third of the field. If his goalscoring record continues he could be a very good player for us.”
Ferguson was also quick to dismiss any suggestion that Kagawa may struggle to adapt to his new surroundings in England, saying his new charge should have no trouble learning the language.
Alongside Kagawa, the club also presented 18 year-old former Crewe prodigy Nick Powell, who had a breakthrough year in League Two, finishing the league campaign with 14 goals, including a sensational volley in the play-off final.
Ferguson said the club had tracked Powell for some time, but decided to move for him shortly before the end of last season, saying he sees his future in a more reserved midfield role.
“We were watching Nick from when he first came into the Crewe team last November and did very well,” Ferguson said. “It got towards the tail-end of the season and we got more serious about him.”
