Shinji Kagawa

Shinji Kagawa was at his best when football became a matter of half spaces, quick touches and decisions taken before the defender had finished turning his head. At Borussia Dortmund, he fitted Klopp’s early machine beautifully, not as a classic number 10 who wanted the game delivered to his feet, but as a sharp attacking midfielder who moved, pressed, combined and arrived in dangerous zones with perfect timing. His technique was light, his body orientation excellent, his first touch often enough to open the next pass. Manchester United never quite gave him the same natural ecosystem, and his rhythm suffered. Still, the Dortmund version was special: clever, subtle, fast in thought and lethal when the game broke between midfield and defence.