Manchester United: Can the Signing of Kagawa Lead United to Premier League Glory

As has been well-documented over the past 24 hours, Manchester United have finally managed to complete the deal (via BBC Sport) for Japanese central midfielder Shinji Kagawa.

The news ends an almost month-long saga for the Red Devils, who have been hotly linked with the former Dortmund man since nearly the conclusion of the 2011/12 Premier League campaign.

The transfer speculation served as a welcome relief from the heartache of the final few minutes of the season, in which, as I'm sure no United fan needs reminding, bitter rivals Manchester City managed to score twice to deny United and Sir Alex a 13th League Championship.

It was a positive distraction at a time when United fans didn't want to focus on what was happening—or, rather, what had happened—on the pitch.

But now that Kagawa is all but a United player, will his inclusion in the side generate positive results for Fergie's men?

The answer is an emphatic yes.

Kagawa provides the attacking edge in the centre of the midfield that has been sorely lacking for longer than most United fans would care to remember.

His eye for a pass, as well as his ability to drive forward with the ball confidently, have helped to establish Kagawa as one of the Bundesliga's best players of the last couple of seasons. In fact, many followers of the German league have attested the recent success achieved by Die Schwarzgelben to the link-up play of Kagawa and Polish international striker Robert Lewandowski.

This kind of partnership is something that Kagawa should easily be able to recreate with United's star man and talisman, Wayne Rooney.

As well as his talents in the centre of midfield, Shinji has also be known to play out wide on the wing at times for Dortmund and Japan. Although this is not a position where United are lacking currently—with the likes of Young, Valencia and Nani all playing in this role—it's always nice to have a player in the squad who is dually talented like this.

In addition to all of his skill on the pitch, it's also a nice boost for the fans, who will be enjoying their first "big-name" signing for quite some time. Yes, the acquisitions of Ashley Young, Phil Jones and Javier Hernandez were both eventually fantastic deals for United, but none of them were particularly well-known on the international stage when brought in to the club.

Kagawa, on the other hand, provides the fans with a player with pedigree, which they have so longingly been clamouring for.

All in all, the introduction of a bright new spark in the midfield can definitely provide United with that little extra that was missing this season.

The search now continues for a future replacement of Patrice Evra at left-back, as well as the possible addition of a ball winning defensive midfielder.

If United can convince the likes of Claudio Marchisio of Juventus, or even Newcastle's Cheick Tiote, to join the ranks at Old Trafford, then we would suddenly be witnessing the strongest United midfield for over a decade.

Of course, these are tenuous rumours that are bound to be rampant at this time of year. Still, most rumours have a hint of truth somewhere in their origin.