Why Shinji Kagawa and Robin Van Persie Will Have Better Seasons Next Year

Despite winning the Premier League title at a canter this season, Sir Alex Ferguson still thought that it was right to state that Manchester City's campaign has been slightly disappointing overall.

Ferguson wrote in his programme notes before Manchester City’s arrival at Old Trafford in April:

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How do we analyse this season - is it one of regret or celebration? For me it is something of the proverbial curate's egg, part bad but with some great redeeming features."

The biggest disappointment was failing to get past Chelsea in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. Normally if we fall behind we can find another gear and get back on track, but on this occasion we didn't manage it.

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He then explained, "Some might think that going out of the Champions League would have been my biggest regret, but there was a reason, one that was out of our control and has to be put down to experience."

It’s hard to argue with his assessment. 

In early March, treble talk was all the rage in the red half of Manchester. But less than a month later this dream had disappeared. Even though they were on the cusp of claiming their 20th league title, fans couldn’t help but ponder what might have been had Nani not been sent off against Real Madrid or had United held onto their first-half advantage over Chelsea at Old Trafford in the FA Cup.

But there are still plenty of positives to take from Manchester United’s title victory. This triumph saw David de Gea, Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Tom Cleverley, Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie claim their first Championship medals, and this honour will raise their confidence to an almost arrogant level.

But for Kagawa and van Persie, this is just the beginning.

Both arrived in the summer under a tidal wave of hype and expectation. They’ve each shown that they have the skills and attributes to flourish on Old Trafford’s hallowed turf, and next season you can expect to see them improve in leaps and bounds too.

Shinji Kagawa

Kagawa has already cemented his place in English Premier League folklore after notching a hat-trick against Norwich in March, becoming the first Asian player to achieve this feat.

Before those goals, he had struggled with a knee injury that sidelined him for three months, but once he made his return to the team, Kagawa began to show the composure and skill that made him one of the most coveted players in Europe last summer.

His influence on the team has started to be so great that it added weight to the theory that Wayne Rooney might leave Old Trafford in the summer.

Kagawa has a European style to his play, and he often manoeuvres around the pitch unnoticed, subtly influencing the game with his touches and vision. He has already proved that he has the strength and guile to flourish in the Premier League and constantly shows that he picks the right pass at almost every opportunity.

The Japanese international will be looking to add more goals and assists next season and will be praying that he can stave off the injuries that have blighted his first year in England.

Sir Alex Ferguson has already stated in a post-game interview, “He’s going to be a good player. Next season he’ll be far, far better too.”

Whether that will be alongside Rooney—as they’ve both linked up sumptuously at times in 2013—or in place of him remains to be seen.

But United fans are well aware that a ready-made replacement for the Liverpudlian forward is already in their ranks if Rooney does decide to depart.

Robin van Persie

There is not much more you can say about Robin van Persie that hasn’t been said already.

The Dutchman’s prowess and awareness in front of goal are staggering, and against Aston Villa, his hat-trick not only led United to the Premier League title but also showed he can score a variety of goals with aplomb.

So what can he improve next season?

It would be harsh to criticise van Persie’s barren run in front of goal between February and April, especially when you consider how deadly he was for the opening months of the season.

He has also claimed eight assists thanks to his deadly free-kicks and corners that are whipped in with such pace and precision that even Patrice Evra has turned into a goal-scoring machine because of his service.

There have been some disappointments, though. Van Persie’s most lacklustre contribution of the campaign came against Real Madrid, where he failed to make an impact and missed two glorious chances at the Bernabeu to claim further away goals for United that could have seen them through.

Even against United’s closest title rivals, Manchester City, he was fairly anonymous.

Yes, he scored the last minute free-kick at the Etihad, thanks to a huge deflection and pathetic wall, which helped to claim the most important three points of the season for the Red Devils, but Rooney’s goals had already given United the lead. At Old Trafford, van Persie struggled against the physical threat of Vincent Kompany and Matija Nastasić.

Van Persie will use his prolific first season as a starting block for his tenure at United, and he’ll be fuelled by his desire to claim more trophies, having not won enough in his career for a man of his talents.