Top-selling official EPL player jerseys

Robin van Persie’s popularity at Manchester United since joining from Arsenal in the summer is demonstrated by news that his is the best-selling official Barclays Premier League shirt in North America this season.



Figures released by Sporting ID, which produces the names, numbers and sleeve badges of the Barclays Premier League, show that the United forward, who has scored 11 Premier League goals so far, leads his United strike partner Wayne Rooney, who was found to have had the best-selling shirt in the League’s history. In third is Chelsea striker Fernando Torres.

"North American soccer fans support the Barclays Premier League as fanatically as anywhere else"

Robert Thayne

United States striker Clint Dempsey is the biggest mover, rising to sixth after his move from Fulham to Tottenham Hotspur in August. Dempsey is the first US player to make the top 10 in North American sales.

"North American soccer fans continue to support the Barclays Premier League as fanatically as anywhere else, often waking at 4am to catch games on TV," said Sporting iD’s global sales and marketing director Robert Thayne. "Players like Van Persie, Eden Hazard, Clint Dempsey, Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere are top-class players playing for the biggest clubs in the world and their fans in North America are really no different than the ones who live in the UK.

“They are clearly showing their support of these players and their club by personalizing jerseys with official Premier League player names, numbers and sleeve badges.”



Top-selling official Barclays Premier League player jerseys in North America : -



1. Robin van Persie (Manchester United)

2. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

3. Fernando Torres (Chelsea)

4. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

5. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

6. Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur)

7. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

8. Javier Hernandez (Manchester United)

9. Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United)

10. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Kagawa named as Asia's best overseas player

Shinji Kagawa has been named the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) International Player of the Year after a sterling 12 months with Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United.

The 23-year-old edged out Inter Milan's pacy full-back Yuto Nagatomo and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer for the inaugural trophy, which is given to the best player based outside the AFC region.



A key player in Dortmund's league and cup "double" last season, Kagawa joined Manchester United for an initial fee of £12million during the summer amidst much fanfare.



He has shown glimpses of his mercurial ability for United this term but has not featured for Sir Alex Ferguson's men since the end of October due to a knee injury.



Ulsan Hyundai forward Lee Keun-ho won the AFC Player of the Year award for players based within the region.



The 27-year-old, who was briefly linked with Blackburn Rovers in 2009, was instrumental in leading Ulsan to the AFC Champions League title this season.


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Kagawa out for up to a month

Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa will be sidelined for three to four weeks with a knee injury, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed.

The Japan star, 23, twisted awkwardly during Tuesday's thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Braga in the Champions League and subsequent scans have confirmed damage to the ligaments.



Kagawa has made an encouraging start to life at Old Trafford since signing from Borussia Dortmundover the summer in a deal set to rise to £17m, and his absence is likely to result in Tom Cleverley starting further forward in Sunday's clash with Chelsea.

Better news for Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson comes in the forms of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, who will return to training next week having finally overcome a broken metatarsal and knee trouble respectively.



Meanwhile, Ferguson has backed defender Rio Ferdinand over his joint statement with brother Anton on the continuing row over racism in football.



The Scot said: "I was pleased he did that, him and his brother. Awareness is rising, the problem isn't going to go away but I think the FA need to work harder especially with UEFA. But for now we need to be concentrating on football."

United concern over Kagawa

Manchester United are waiting to discover the seriousness of an injury sustained by Shinji Kagawa after the midfielder twisted his knee against Braga.



The Japan international suffered the damage during the first half of Tuesday night's thrilling 3-2 comeback win in the UEFA Champions League.

The result virtually guaranteed the Red Devils a place in the competition's knockout phase with three games remaining.

But it may come at a price, with Kagawa due for tests on Wednesday to discover the extent of the problem.

"Kagawa twisted his knee," said Ferguson. "He struggled on for 20 minutes but we will assess in in the morning because we don't know the extent of it at the moment."

With goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard also ruled out for a week after suffering a thumb injury in training, Ferguson is likely to be down on numbers for Sunday's crucial Premier League trip to leaders Chelsea.

Of more concern to the United boss is his team's inability to keep the opposition out after they found themselves behind for the eighth time in 12 games this season against Braga.

"I can't get to the bottom of it, I am afraid," he said. "If you analyse the goals we are losing, they have come from throw-ins, crosses, cut-backs - all sorts. And they are finding players free in the box.



"It is difficult to put your finger on it, and it is a concern because it is making it difficult for us."

Kagawa to start for Man United

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed new-boy Shinji Kagawa will start Manchester United's pre-season encounter with Ajax Cape Town on Saturday.



The £17 million arrival from Borussia Dortmund was restricted to a couple of minutes as a substitute in Durban on Wednesday.



Although it was a disappointment for the supporters who had hoped to see Kagawa in action for the first time, Ferguson claimed because the 23-year-old had arrived for training slightly later than his team-mates, he needed additional work in South Africa this week.



However, with a full-house expected at the Green Point Stadium, Ferguson is ready to unleash the Japan midfielder.



Kagawa has already impressed Ferguson during his short time at Manchester United.



"He's been outstanding," said Ferguson.



"His training performances have been very good. He was three or four days behind everyone else, but he'll play tomorrow."



Kagawa is already being compared to Park Ji-sung, the crowd favourite from Korea Republic who has now joined Queens Park Rangers.



A member of the Dortmund side that has won back-to-back German titles, Kagawa is a more accomplished ball player than Park. However, Ferguson revealed they share the same work ethic.



"There are similarities to Ji-sung Park. They're both disciplined, they work hard," said the Scot.



"Also, they are good professionals and excellent to work with.



"There will be no problems with him settling into the club.



"What we identified about Kagawa is exactly what I'm seeing now. The difference now is that our players are realising his qualities.



"He's got quick feet, is two-footed and had a good goal ratio with Dortmund. He's doing very well."

Kagawa and Powell set for United tour

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that new signings Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell will join Manchester United on their pre-season tour of South Africa and China.



Shinji Kagawa Dortmund action

GettyImagesShinji Kagawa will pull on a Man Utd shirt for the first time



The duo are two of the few certainties for the tour, with several players set to be rested after Euro 2012 while others, including Ryan Giggs and David de Gea, are set for Olympic action.



Besides those absentees, Nemanja Vidic and Chris Smalling will not be considered due to injury, and Darren Fletcher has been sidelined long-term with a bowel complaint.



"It's obviously very difficult in a year when we have had a Euro tournament and we also have the Olympics this year,'' said Ferguson. "The final squad hasn't been decided yet but we will be taking the strongest team we have available.



"We are all looking forward to the pre-season tour. I am delighted that our new newest signings, Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell, will be in the travelling squad along with more established players such as Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick and Ji Sung-Park.''



Ferguson added: "I have always said how important it is to get a good pre-season behind us. We saw the impact a good pre-season had on the start of last year's campaign.''



United have announced a fixture with Barcelona in Gothenburg on August 8, but are still waiting to announce a second fixture for their time in China. It has already been announced that they will play against Didier Drogba's Shanghai Shenhua side in the other fixture in China.



In other news announced by the club. Maurice Watkins has stepped down from the board of Manchester United after 28 years at the club.



Chief executive David Gill said: "Maurice has been a source of calm, measured advice and someone who always has the genuine interests of the club at heart.''



Meanwhile, 21-year-old Northern Ireland international Oliver Norwood has rejected the club's offer of a new contract to join Championship side Huddersfield, signing a three-year deal at the Galpharm Stadium.

Kagawa to miss Olympics

The technical director of the Japanese FA, Hiromi Hara, has handed Manchester United a boost with the news that midfielder Shinji Kagawa will not be included in the country's selection for the Olympic Games.



Kagawa, 23, is eligible for selection, but will instead join up with his new Manchester United team-mates once he has completed his medical examinations and received a work permit.



The decision has been made with Japan's World Cup qualifiers in mind, with the Japanese association hoping to give their star midfielder time to rest and undertake a full pre-season this summer.



Hara confirmed: "Kagawa is one of the leading members of the Japan national senior team and he is almost certainly going to join one of the biggest clubs in the world.



"We came to the conclusion that not giving him enough rest is not good for his future nor our final World Cup qualifiers. I talked to Kagawa directly and told him he would not be chosen.''



David de Gea is set to be part of the Spain squad, while Tom Cleverley and Chris Smalling are among those eligible for selection in Stuart Pearce's Team GB squad to be named in the first week of July. However, Smalling's participation would depend upon his recovery from the groin injury that ruled him out of Euro 2012.



Ferguson has already negotiated with the Mexico FA to ensure that Javier Hernandez will not be included in their squad for the games, having participated in national team encounters in June.

New Red Devil Kagawa eying challenge

Japanese star Shinji Kagawa said the challenge of playing in the English Premier League was behind his high-profile move to Manchester United.



United announced on Saturday it reached a deal for the 23-year-old Kagawa, who had one year left on his contract with two-time Bundesliga champion Borussia Dortmund but declined the club's extension offer.



''I considered many things but the most important was I wanted a challenge,'' Kagawa said after returning from Japan's 1-1 draw with Australia in a World Cup qualifier. ''When you look at the football scene (in England), it's the best league in the world.''



Kagawa joined Dortmund in 2010 from J-League side Osaka. In his two seasons in the Bundesliga, the attacking midfielder scored 21 goals in 49 appearances.



He missed the second half of his first season in Germany after breaking his metatarsal at the 2011 Asian Cup, but returned for the 2011-12 campaign and played a key part in helping Dortmund win the Bundesliga and German Cup double.



Kagawa will be the first Japanese to wear United's famous red shirt.



''I will have to work harder than ever,'' he said. ''I will have to take this step with the resolve to be the best player I can be.''



Players from Japan, however, have yet to make a real impact in the Premier League. Junichi Inamoto failed to start a league game during his time with Arsenal in the 2001-02 season, Kazayuki Toda played four games for Tottenham Hotspur in 2003 and teenage winger Ryo Miyaichi returned to Arsenal after being on loan with Bolton Wanderers.



Hidetoshi Nakata, a star of Serie A, had one season with Bolton in 2005-06 before retiring from the game.

Man Utd: Kagawa signing not about shirt sales

Manchester United commercial director Richard Arnold insists the club are not looking to sign Japan playmaker Shinji Kagawa simply to sell shirts.



Kagawa is reportedly close to moving from Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund to Old Trafford on a €15 million transfer, which could rise to €22 million with add-ons. Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke fuelled speculation further on Tuesday evening, telling Derwesten: "Both sides want to conclude the deal."



Meanwhile, United's South Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung may exit the club this summer, sparking talk the club are looking to the sign Kagawa to boost brand recognition throughout Asia. Arnold, though, believes United's individual players do not drive the club's off-field profitability.



"We don't sign players to sell shirts." Arnold said. "We are reliant on 25 players and they are all massive stars. We have 25 George Clooneys.



"When you look at the success we've seen in that part of the world [Asia], it isn't down to any one player or person. Of course, Ji is a fantastic player, was captain of the South Korea team and continues to be a key part of our squad.



"But for Manchester United, it's more than any one player. It was more than George Best, it was more than Bryan Robson, it was more than David Beckham, it was more than Cantona, than Park.



"Ji is very popular in Korea, just as Javier Hernandez is hugely popular in Mexico, but Paul Scholes has his own Chinese character. These are huge stars and the big stars are the big stars in every country. Our games are shown 1.1 billion homes across the globe and you think 'which film does that 60 times a year?'



"Be it George Clooney or Brad Pitt, what is there where that is shown? There just isn't anything like it."