
Manchester: For striker Wayne Rooney to be taken off the pitch because Manchester United needed a vital goal was once inconceivable but is now the reality facing a player whose future at the club is as shaky as his form.
"We had to get that goal that mattered," was manager Alex Ferguson's reasoning on Friday for the decision to substitute the England striker in Wednesday's 2-2 draw at West Ham United.
"As far as taking him off the other night, it was simple: he wasn't playing as well as Shinji Kagawa was. In so many games Wayne Rooney is better than most players. But on the night Shinji was playing so well."
The worrying thing for 27-year-old Rooney is that this in not just a one-off as it followed Ferguson's decision last month to drop him for arguably their biggest game of the season - the Champions League last 16 second leg against Real Madrid....
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07:00 PM, Apr 19, 2013

Jordan stunned Japan 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier, denying the Asian power the chance to become the first team secure a berth in Brazil. ...

11:29 AM, Mar 27, 2013

Kagawa scored a hat-trick as Manchester United kept their firm grip on the EPL title with a 4-0 win over Norwich at Old Trafford. ...

10:24 PM, Mar 02, 2013

Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa won the inaugural Asian Football Confederation (AFC) International Player-of-the-Year award on Thursday. ...

10:49 PM, Nov 29, 2012

Singapore: Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa and his Japanese team mate Yuto Nagatomo have been nominated for the AFC's first Asian International Player of the Year award. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced the three-man shortlist for the new honour on Sunday along with the nominees for their Asian Player of the Year award, open to candidates who play for clubs in the continent. South Korean...

03:28 PM, Nov 18, 2012

London: Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa has been ruled out for up to four weeks with a knee injury, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday. The Japanese international was substituted at halftime of United's 3-2 victory over Braga in the Champions League on Tuesday. "Shinji Kagawa is going to be out for three to four weeks," Ferguson told reporters. "It's a knee injury similar to the one (winger) Ashley Young...

04:13 PM, Oct 26, 2012

London: Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa picked up an injury during the first half of last night's 3-2 comeback win over Braga and he is due for tests on Wednesday to discover the extent of the problem. The Japan international was replaced at half time by Nani after he picked up the injury midway through the first half at Old Trafford. "Kagawa twisted his knee," said Manchester United manager Alex...

01:14 PM, Oct 24, 2012

Manchester: The shade of the shirt may have changed but Robin van Persie remains a red-hot Dutch master after marking his first Manchester United start with a goal in a 3-2 Premier League win over Fulham on Saturday. Having swapped the crimson of Arsenal for the red checks of United's new home jersey, the 24 million pound ($38 million) man dug United out of an early hole by firing in...

10:00 PM, Aug 25, 2012

Manchester: Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa has spoken to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and would like to move to an English Premier League club, the Japanese international said on Wednesday. "It was good to meet and actually talk to him. He had some nice things to say to me," the 23-year-old told reporters. Kagawa has been widely linked with a seven-million-Pound transfer to the Premier League runners-up by British...

05:19 AM, May 17, 2012