The Japan international, playing in the hole just off lone
striker Federico Macheda, was United's most influential player and
scored a deserved goal in the 68th minute
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaoZn3xMVnM
Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Shinji Kagawa as his first
Manchester United goal saw them wrap up the first part of their
pre-season tour with a win.
Kagawa was United's most influential player and served notice of
the impact he can have at United following his £12million move from
German champions Borussia Dortmund.
"Kagawa was man of the match and I thought he deserved that,"
said Ferguson.
"He has settled in really well and is going to be a really good
player for us. I was really impressed with him tonight.
"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 his awareness of receiving the ball
and speed of turning defenders, I think that's going to be an asset
for us."
The Japan international, playing in the hole just off lone
striker Federico Macheda, scored a deserved goal in the 68th
minute.
Substitute Bebe beat his man on the left before squaring for
Kagawa, whose dipping shot from 10 yards out took a deflection
before settling in the net.
Ferguson sees Kagawa as a key man for United this season and it
was easy to see why as the 23-year-old, making only his second
start, played with impressive guile and industry.
Fellow new signing Nick Powell, making his first start since his
£4million move from Crewe, looked lively but squandered a great
chance to put United ahead in the 23rd minute.
Spotting Powell's run, young midfielder Davide Petrucci chipped
an exquisite ball over the top to his intended target, who took the
ball down with one touch.
Scrap: Davide Petrucci (left) fights for the ball with
Wang Lin of Shanghai Shenhua
But Powell, perhaps fearing he had less time than he
did, snatched at the chance and screwed a quickly-taken left-foot
shot wide of the target.
Powell had earlier been lucky to come away unscathed from a
reckless challenge, when Shanghai's Shouting Wang clattered into
him with a studs-first tackle.
It was enough to get furious United boss Ferguson off his seat
in the dug-out in protest, Shanghai midfielder Wang somehow
escaping a booking for the dangerous lunge.
Thereafter United controlled possession without causing their
hosts any real problems.
But the visitors themselves were almost caught out on the
counter-attack three minutes before the break.
Shanghai midfielder Joel Griffiths managed to get in behind Rio
Ferdinand, leaving him one-on-one with United keeper Anders
Lindegaard.
Lindegaard, who has already
declared his intention to depose David De Gea as United's
first-choice keeper this season, made a superb save to divert the shot.
With no Didier Drogba or Nicolas
Anelka in their squad, the hosts lacked the requisite
quality to trouble United, despite being tidy in possession in the
first-half, after which they tired.
At half-time Lindegaard, Powell and Petrucci made way for Sam
Johnstone, Ryan Tunnicliffe and Bebe, as Ferguson sought to give
his young players as much game-time as possible.
Kagawa set up Macheda in the 55th minute, but his weak angled
shot was diverted, while Bebe, scorer of United's late equaliser in
Cape Town, struck a shot straight at keeper Xiong Fei.
But the goal came 22 minutes from time, allowing Ferguson to
make another glut of substitutions before the final whistle, with
Paul Scholes among those making a late cameo.
United, who return to Manchester tomorrow, play Valernega in
Olso on August 5, before taking on Barcelona in Gothenburg three
days late.
The final warm-up game for Ferguson's men, before their Premier
League opener at Everton on August 20, is away to Hannover on
August 11.
Manchester United
(4-4-1-1): Lindegaard (Johnstone 46); Veseli (Vermijil 71),
Ferdinand, Carrick, Brady; Valencia (Lingard 71), Anderson (Scholes
71), Powell (Tunnicliffe 46), Petrucci (Bebe 46); Kagawa;
Macheda(Hernandez 60)
