With Ashley Young, Nani, Antonio Valencia and the evergreen Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs among their ranks, the Manchester United midfield has been a fertile source of points for Fantasy Managers in recent years. In our latest pre-season “Burning Question” we assess the impact of the midfield’s latest recruit, Japan international Shinji Kagawa, who joined during the summer from Borussia Dortmund.

Priced at 8.5m in the FPL game and 7.6m in the Sky Sports game, Kagawa could represent a bargain if he can nail down a regular place in the United starting XI and replicate the form he displayed in the Bundesliga last season. In 31 league appearances for the German champions, the 23-year-old proved to be a pivotal figure in midfield, returning 13 goals and eight assists for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

During pre-season friendlies the signs are good that Kagawa will have a fruitful career at United, scoring the only goal in the Red Devils win over Shanghai Shenhua in July and earlier this month notching again during a thrilling 4-3 victory over Hannover. However, the threat of rotation hangs heavy over him, with Sir Alex Ferguson rolling out 4-4-2 and 4-4-1-1 formations during friendlies with Danny Welbeck and Kagawa taking it in turns to partner Wayne Rooney.

Mark says…
If you’re going to gamble on one big new arrival to the Premier League, Kagawa may well be the best option. His pre-season form has been impressive and it is clear Sir Alex has reacted to the midfielder’s displays by giving him plenty of pitch time and experimenting with his role in United’s formation. This could be key to his prospects of getting close to the kind of returns we saw him contribute in the Bundesliga. In a 4-4-2, it seems likely that Kagawa will adopt a deeper role, alongside Michael Carrick, and be charged with getting forward to link play where possible. In a 4-4-1-1 it could be we see Kagawa given the support role “in the hole” playing up with Wayne Rooney, or even Javier Hernandez. This would surely give Kagawa the freedom to flourish, deal damage and begin threatening heavy returns. Rotation with Tom Cleverley is perhaps the threat and with Darren Fletcher edging back into the frame, it’s clear that Kawaga will have to show consistency to maintain starts.

Fantasy managers are clearly coveting United attacking talent and, while Rooney is the obvious choice, doubts about his early season sharpness has us turning to midfield areas. With Antonio Valencia shifted to right-back in pre-season, and with several threats on his starting role, Kagawa has emerged as a viable alternative to the Ecuadorian. In the end, the price difference in his favour could well tip the balance. There’s a fear that, if we fail to adopt the likes of Kagawa and Eden Hazard early, their price could explode very quickly. For me, that’s far more of a factor with Kagawa: I believe he’s set to be a key player for United and our Fantasy lineups in his first season.

Granville says…
I’ve no doubt in my mind that Kagawa is straight into the starting line up on opening day, even though he’ll be away with his national squad just five days before the start of the season. He’s Sir Alex Ferguson’s marquee signing and the type of player United have been missing since Paul Scholes hit his mid 30’s. His pre-season form has been impressive.

The real burning question is where will he play and how will this impact his returns. United have traditionally played 4-4-2, but I feel that a central midfield role next to Carrick would be too limiting, especially against stronger sides, so mostly I see him pushed up into a 4-2-3-1 directly behind the striker. His position will change according to the opposition.

From what I’ve seen so far, he has a full range of ball skills, but crucially has the knack of ghosting into the box without a marker and this is going to offer him many scoring opportunities. 8.5 is underpriced, just as Antonio Valencia was last season, so get him from the start before everyone else does.

Stilicho says…
The only way I can see him having a decisive direct impact on mini-league races is if he gets off to a flier. Transfer priorities have a tendency to stack up quickly at the start of the season as our well-laid plans are rent asunder at the whim of our real-life managerial masters. With the Chelsea double Gameweek tempting even more complex forward transfer planning than usual at the outset of this campaign, an unplanned jump onto the “Kagawasaki” might seem too expensive a luxury to those with faltering double Gameweek forwards to offload.

Priced comfortably below the premium midfielders, the vast majority of Fantasy managers should have no problem drafting Kagawa into their squad once the early dust has settled, even assuming he’s pushing the 9.0 mark in the FPL game by the time they get around to it. If he cements a starting place under Sir Alex Ferguson he is likely to become a mainstay in many lineups, thus rendering his direct impact on mini-league races fairly minor.

However, if he performs well enough to cast doubts over the importance of Wayne Rooney in our Fantasy squads, his indirect effect could be considerable. With lots of cash freed up, plenty of tempting targets on our watchlists and an increasingly free hand in terms of captaincy, the FPL season could get very interesting very quickly.

Paul Says….
There’s no doubt he’s a fantastic talent but my one abiding concern over Shinji Kagawa is just how often Sir Alex Ferguson will play him in his preferred position. He excelled in “the hole” in Dortmund’s 4-2-3-1 last season and upon his arrival, went on record as saying he was looking to nail down the slot but he’s versatile enough to play on the left and, as we saw in United’s final pre-season friendly, has the potential to play in central midfield.

It’s possible that Ferguson has looked to Luka Modric’s impact at Spurs within a 4-4-2; the Croatian has proven that a slight, ball-carrying playmaker who can provide plenty creativity from deep is able to flourish within the Premier League. The United boss has also recently suggested he expects a strong season from Javier Hernandez and has handed Danny Welbeck a brand new contract – bearing in mind he is also intent on acquiring Robin Van Persie, I’m concerned over just where Kagawa will fit, though there’s no doubt he’ll feature plenty.

Factor in Antonio Valencia, Nani and Ashley Young to the midfield equation and there’s plenty to ponder ahead of the trip to Goodison on Monday evening. Kagawa’s 8.5 price certainly appeals and suggests he may be better value than the aforementioned trio, while his free-kick ability also helps – United’s Gameweek 2-4 schedule (FUL, sot, WIG) could well be enough to dispel my doubts and earn him a place in my team.