Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that he was interested in signing Shinji Kagawa during his time at Real Madrid, but missed out on him because he couldn’t promise him first-team football.
The Japan international was one of the most-wanted midfielders after enjoying a successful career in Germany with Borussia Dortmund, and when he came to leave the club, a whole host of European elite’s wanted his signature.
When he did leave Germany, Kagawa eventually chose England and Manchester United due to the fact that Mourinho, manager of Madrid at the time, admitted to him that he couldn’t promise him first-team football due to the whole host of talent he had at the Bernabeu.
‘We spoke with him and were on the verge of signing him,’ Chelsea manager Mourinho was quoted as saying in The Sun, ‘But I was honest with him and told him that my first choice was Mesut Ozil.
‘I told Kagawa this without hiding anything. In the end he chose Manchester United maybe because he could play more minutes in England.’
Since joining United, the midfield-man has found it hard cementing a first-team place under both Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes, which has sparked rumours about a potential return to Germany.
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
