Shinji Kagawa Is Out With Injury

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 23: Leandro Salino of SC Braga tussles for posession with Shinji Kagawa of Manchester United during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Manchester United and SC Braga at Old Trafford on October 23, 2012 in Manchester, England.

Manchester United midfield orchestrator Shinji Kagawa is most likely to miss Barclays Premier League clashes with Chelsea and Arsenal over the next two weeks. The Japan international suffered an injury to his left knee during the 3–2 victory against Portuguese side Sporting Braga in the Champions League at Old Trafford last Tuesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson:

“We had to take Shinji Kagawa off. He struggled on for twenty minutes after he got the injury. We will assess it in the morning as it’s too early to say what the damage is. I was confident the diamond would be important for us but, when you’re 2–0 down, it’s easy for them to kill the game by playing it out wide.

“So we had to change things with Nani on the right and Rooney on the left. Kagawa’s injury forced my hand to play Nani as a wide player and it made a difference in terms of their possession.”