How can United let Mkhitaryan succeed where Kagawa failed?

Manchester United finally confirmed the signing of Henrikh Mkhitaryan on Wednesday after the transfer had seemed all but complete for almost a week.

The arrival of the former Borussia Dortmund playmaker seems to have been greeted positively by fans, with the Armenian looking like the kind of player who can provide the quality United so often lacked on the right wing last season.

Having scored 23 goals and provided 32 assists in all competitions for last season’s Bundesliga runners-up from that position, United supporters certainly have reason to be excited about Mkhitaryan being in the side next season.

Twitter: RT @HenrikhMkh: A dream come true! So happy to join @ManUtd, a club I always admired for its history & fans! https://t.co/EkbNVKaOyS (@ManUtd)

However, more sceptical supporters may recall the last time the Reds signed Dortmund’s star attacking midfielder only four years ago. Indeed, similar things were expected of Shinji Kagawa upon his arrival in June 2012, a player who, like Mkhitaryan, had been included in the Bundesliga team of the season shortly before joining United.

There’s an argument to say that Mkhitaryan is simply a better player than Kagawa, and the Japanese’s mere 13 goals and eight assists the season before he joined the Reds compared to what the Armenian achieved last term would certainly suggest that.

However, there was a great deal of promise for Kagawa and it was a huge shame to see him fail at Old Trafford. Therefore, we’ve pinpointed four mistakes United made with Kagawa that they must avoid repeating with Mkhitaryan to ensure he has a more successful time in Manchester than his former teammate.