Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa staying put after Borussia Dortmund fail to lure him back

 

Shinji Kagawa will remain at Manchester United this season after Borussia Dortmund confirmed their attempts to re-sign the Japanese midfielder have been rebuffed by the player and his club.

 

 

Kagawa, who has also been the subject of interest from Atlético Madrid, arrived at Old Trafford in a £17m transfer from Dortmund in June 2012, but has admitted his disappointment with his debut campaign at united.

With a knee ligament injury keeping Kagawa on the sidelines for three months last season, the 24-year-old restricted to just 27 appearances in all competitions.

And with Dortmund searching for a new attacking midfielder following the controversial sale of Mario Götze to Bayern Munich this summer, the club’s sporting director, Michael Zorc, has admitted that attempts were made to take Kagawa back to the Westfalenstadion.

“After the departure of Mario Götze was certain, of course, our first idea was to assess how things stand in the case Shinji Kagawa,” Zorc said.

“Shinji has always said that he would someday return to Dortmund, but after a call, it was clear that neither the player nor Manchester United were interested in an exchange at this time."