For nearly a year and a half, questions whirred in the Manchester United dugout over where Hinata Miyazawa would best be used.

That seems absurd now. During United’s 3-0 Women’s Super League home victory against Brighton & Hove Albion, the Japan international delivered a performance so good that she seemed to bend time and space to her will.

A “magic mini (Luka) Modric” was United captain Maya Le Tissier’s post-match assessment of her team-mate. A “midfield metronome” was the appraisal from Sky Sports commentator Izzy Christiansen. A player so good that not even a “language barrier” can interrupt her, according to United head coach Marc Skinner.

In these moments, you could be forgiven for forgetting that this is all a bit new for Miyazawa, 25, who signed for United from Japanese side Mynavi Sendai in September 2023, a few weeks after she had scooped up the 2023 World Cup Golden Boot award.

“When she came into the club, we looked at the fact she’s a wide forward, attack-minded, aggressive on her sprinting,” Skinner said after the win against Brighton. “But this league is really physical. She probably wouldn’t work as a wide forward.

“So we’re like, where do we fit ‘Hinny’? Because we know she’s an incredible footballer, but I didn’t think she matched the physicality. She got run around a little bit. Now she’s reading defensive situations, reading attacking situations. She’s probably one of the most intelligent footballers I’ve worked with.”

In United’s last four league victories, Miyazawa played at the base of midfield alongside Dominique Janssen, who was signed last summer. The pair’s evolving dynamic has begun to bridge gaps that often appeared between United’s attack and defence at the season’s start.

But Miyazawa has been the all-important tether, as Sunday underlined. Across 90 minutes, she ranked first in carries (16), first in attacking sequence involvements (eight), first in tackles (three), second in defensive sequence involvements (13) and second in passes (47). She supplied United’s second goal, finding the bottom corner with her weaker foot from the edge of the area in a manner that suggested she actually has no weaker foot.

Her passing map below makes Miyazawa’s importance glaringly obvious: a central figure from which the rest of the team emerges and flourishes. Her heat map paints a similar picture: everywhere and all at once.

United’s win on Sunday was one full of hard running and sharp angles, but Skinner had tasked his side with “having fun”. Their third goal, when Celin Bizet nutmegged Brighton midfielder Maisie Symonds and thrashed into the roof of the net from 25 yards, summed up that approach.

United were helped by a poor display from Brighton, who were once again undone by sloppy errors and slick transitions. The visitors have just one point from their last four WSL matches and failed to register a single shot on target against United, partly because of the latter’s defensive efforts but also due to the absence of Fran Kirby, who remains injured for an extended period.

United, by contrast, are four league wins from four, their longest run since the 2022-23 WSL season. They sit second in the table. They are still seven points off leaders Chelsea but pose as big a threat as anyone to the champions’ hopes of romping to another title.

Grace Clinton’s omission from United’s starting XI had raised eyebrows over their creative capacity. Yet Ella Toone’s freedom in the No 10 role and the glee with which Elisabeth Terland, Leah Galton and Bizet scythed through Brighton’s back line suggested the task was met — and it was Miyazawa who made it possible.

“What Hinny brings to the team is an incredible level of football intelligence,” Skinner said. “She always seems to be in the right space. She and Janssen give us balance because it allows us to be more creative.”

Time would always be required to adjust to life in the WSL, and an ankle injury sustained in December 2023 on international duty hampered Miyazawa’s adjustment. But even upon her return in March 2024, the question of where she best fitted in threatened to go unanswered, despite her natural technical ability and creativity making her feel like an obvious candidate for this deep-lying playmaking role.

While Miyazawa’s physical play needed evolving, Skinner’s tendency to rely on a regular starting XI often makes opportunities difficult to come by for fringe players. But Katie Zelem’s departure to NWSL side Angel City in the summer and a foot injury sustained by Lisa Naalsund in November opened the door.

“We got a stick at the start of the year because we weren’t cohesive, we weren’t pressing enough,” said Skinner when asked about the time taken to reach this point. “But they’re a new team. Miyazawa and Janssen hadn’t played together before this season. They’re just 12 games in. They’re connecting.”

That United have seemed to suss out a solution for Miyazawa is a positive, though questions persist. Should Miyazawa’s ability have been pinpointed earlier? How will this midfield hold up against Arsenal or Chelsea? Or against a Manchester City side not ransacked by injury? And while 21-year-old Simi Awujo was singled out as an understudy for Janssen and Miyazawa, will the departure of midfield veteran Hayley Ladd haunt them if injury strikes?

Many of these questions will not have answers until United’s final three fixtures, when they face Chelsea, City and Arsenal to end their WSL season. One thing remains certain: Miyazawa’s influence is growing.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Manchester United, UK Women's Football

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