Jurgen Klopp is hoping Shinji Kagawa will be inspired by a partisan Westfalenstadion crowd when he makes his first appearance for Borussia Dortmund in two years this weekend.
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Kagawa, 25, left Dortmund for Manchester United in 2012 but after struggling to replicate the form that made him a star at BVB, the Japan international opted to move back to the Bundesliga last month in an eight million euro move.
Klopp is expected to hand Kagawa his second debut this weekend when Frieburg visit Dortmund and he hopes the playmaker will be ready to shine.
"This could also lend wings to him," Klopp told a news conference, adding that Kagawa "win minutes" for Borussia. "We can't wait for another two weeks. Shinji is going to be important for us right away.">
Klopp did try to somewhat dampen expectations, adding: "He wants to show great things, but he's only been here for a few days," Klopp said. "We try and give him a feeling of normality."
"Shinjimania" certainly appeared to hit Dortmund on Friday, with local newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten publishing an article dedicated to Kagawa on their website in Japanese, while BVB fanzine schwatzgelb.de also ran with a headline in Japanese letters to celebrate his homecoming.
And on the official BVB website, the club claimed that over 3,000 Kagawa jerseys have been sold in Japan in the last two weeks, and that at one sportswear outlet Borussia Dortmund's black and yellow replica was the best sold of all European clubs.
Kagawa's return could not be better timed for a Dortmund squad in the midst of an injury crisis. Attacking midfielders Marco Reus and Jakub Blazczykowski are set for month-long spells on the sidelines, while Ilkay Gundogan, Nuri Sahin, Oliver, Ji Dong-Won, and Mats Hummels are all working on returning to full fitness.