Wednesday, 11th June, 2014
Manchester United’s Shinji Kagawa admits that he is enjoying his role as a number 10 in the Japanese team.
Kagawa is an important member of Japan’s World Cup squad and is ready to play in his first World Cup.
The 25-year-old believes that Japan have expectations of him regardless of his role in the team, which brings added pressure at a showpiece event like the World Cup.
“I do feel the expectations, whether I wear the number 10 shirt or not," Kagawa told Manchester United’s official site.
The Manchester United man feels playing the number 10 role brings its own set of responsibilities but regardless, he is looking to enjoy his first experience of the World Cup with his team-mates.
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"All I can do is to achieve what is expected of me. It is great that number 10 is the centre of attention but it is also accompanied by responsibility.
“Having said that, I want to play with joy and I believe I can do this with my team-mates.”
Japan will kick-off their World Cup against the Ivory Coast in a Group C fixture on Saturday at the Arena Pernambuco. Greece and Colombia are the other two teams in the group.
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