Signed from Borussia Dortmund in June 2012 for £12 million – a fee which seemed slightly modest for a player that was at the centre of hordes of hysteria when he penned a deal with Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson must have thought he had pulled off a tremendous coup when Dortmund coach Jürgen Klopp was left in tears after the Japanese playmaker left the Westfaldstadion.

However two years into his Old Trafford career, the 25 year old has played more of the supporting role at the Theatre of the Dreams.

The 2013-2014 season has been a foreign one for the Japanese international who has had to play second fiddle to the burgeoning talent of Adnan Januzaj, the exciting 18 year old, and then in January the arrival of Chelsea’s £37 million playmaker Juan Mata.

These two factors have meant Kagawa only netted three goals last season, a figure halved compared to his first season in the Premier League. In comparison to his Dortmund years, the campaign prior to his move to England where he found the net 21 times in all competitions.

The attacker will be hoping the arrival of Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal will be the catalyst to revitalise his promising career.

However, an impressive World Cup could see us eulogise over the playmaker again and more importantly force his way back into the Manchester United first team following a dismal season for the 2012-2013 Premier League champions.

Japan’s place is an uncomfortable one in an uncompromising Group C alongside Columbia, Greece and Ivory Coast, with all four nations fancying their chances of making the knockout rounds.

After being left out of the squad four years ago in South Africa, Kagawa will be hoping to take a more starring role alongside AC Milan’s Keisuke Honda in Brazil and fire them deeper into the competition, having never made it past the Round of Sixteen.

A successful tournament will not only mean a rejuvenated Shinji Kagawa, but might also reinvigorate Japanese society – which it failed to do after co-hosting the 2002 World Cup.

The tournament was supposed to unite the nation and promote football as a global game which can be prized and admired, however with Japan failing to make it out of their group it was South Korea who were guided to the third/fourth play off by Guus Hiddink, and who won over the neutrals.

In Japan it is Sumo wrestling that is widely-known as the national sport with the 19th Century import of Baseball’s Nippon league being the country’s largest professional sports competition in terms of television ratings and spectators.

There are a multitude of rumours circulating around the red side of Manchester, with many saying this is the club’s most pivotal summer transfer period since Ferguson took the job. If Van Gaal can reinstate the club as a dominant force in the Premier League and across Europe then David Moyes’ brief and fleeting tenure will just become a distant memory. Toni Kroos, Arjen Robben and Mats Hummels have all been mentioned as players who could drive a side that finished seventh in the Premier League onto greater things.

Nonetheless twelve years on from Japan and South Korea’s tournament, the game of football is once again set to take centre stage – providing the perfect platform for Kagawa to arise from the ashes of the domestic season and set this tournament alight. Consequently silencing his critics and showcasing why he can play a vital role in Manchester United’s starting eleven for years to come.