Shinji Kagawa has revealed that his closest friends at the club are Alexander Büttner and David de Gea.

“I talk a lot with Alexander Büttner, who’s also in his first season with the team,” he told the official site. “We have that in common. Also, I spend a bit of time with David De Gea because I take English classes with him. I’m working hard to study English so I can communicate better with my team-mates.”

Kagawa’s season has been disrupted by injuries and being played out of position, so he’s not happy with his contribution so far, but is working hard in training so that we can see the best from him.

“I’m not satisfied so far, but then I am always very critical of my own performances,” he added. “Even worse, though, I got injured. I had to go through the frustrations that come with getting injured in my first season with the team. Now I’m just doing my best to catch up on what I have missed. There’s a lot of pressure when you play for this club, but all I can do at the moment is keep working hard every day to bring out the best in me. I’m confident my hard work will pay off.”

Kagawa has insisted for this season to be considered a success we have to win the league.

“A big club is expected to win every game and also to be the champions,” he said. “So that’s definitely our goal. I’ll do my best to contribute to the team so that, come the end of the season, I can feel I’ve made a contribution to what will hopefully be a title win.”