Manchester United Transfer Rumors: Shinji Kagawa Would Boost Red Devils Midfield

Injury woes and lackluster play from Manchester United's midfielders forced Paul Scholes to come out of retirement to provide more consistency, but he won't be around forever. The Red Devils must start looking to the future with players like Shinji Kagawa.

While the Borussia Dortmund winger has one season left on his current deal, he hasn't been willing to accept a new one, forcing his club to explore other options, according to the Daily Mail. One team with heavy interest has been Manchester United.

Kagawa scored 13 goals and added eight assists in Bundesliga play this season while displaying some of the potential that has given powerhouse clubs reason to watch him in recent years. At just 23 years old, he should be prepared to make the next step in his career.

Even though United has plenty of midfielders to choose from, none of the ones asked to step up this season have shown the world-class ability it takes to start for an elite club. Players like Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley didn't take full advantage of their opportunities.

That means Sir Alex Ferguson has to seek out other options during the summer to at least compete for the spots. Anything short of a Premier League title is a disappointment at Old Trafford, and the team's moves will likely reflect that.

Everybody knows about Kagawa's upside, but the concern would be his ability to transition his game to the EPL style and level without an extended learning curve. Some young players have no issue, yet others never seem to get their feet completely under them.

The one thing working to his advantage is terrific pace. As the old cliché goes, you can't teach speed and it gives him one thing he can always fall back on if the other parts of his game aren't clicking.

Compared to some of the transfer market's bigger names that will command big bucks, Kagawa should come at a reasonable price, especially when you consider Borussia Dortmund will continue to lose leverage as time goes on.

Ferguson would be best off making some low-risk moves like that than going all-in with one player and hoping he fills the issues that plagued his club throughout the campaign. And Scholes will be there for insurance just in case the deals don't work out.

Fans always love high-profile deals during the transfer window, but a player like Kagawa would be exactly what the doctor ordered for Manchester United.