A deadline day signing in September 2022, the Japanese international moved to the Academy Stadium from fellow Barclays Women’s Super League side West Ham United.
And after finding the net on her debut against Leicester City, the midfielder never looked back, with a spot in the 2022/23 PFA Team of the Year alongside Alex Greenwood and Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw just rewards for her exploits.
In the upcoming CITY+ feature: ‘Rise: The Story of our Season’, the Japanese international’s impact off the pitch is also clear to see.
As well as a detailed look at some of her incredible stats from last season, the below clip from the documentary demonstrates how popular a figure she is in the dressing room, including tributes from Bunny Shaw, Chloe Kelly and Esme Morgan.
Hasegawa’s vision and technical prowess have both shone through from the deep-lying midfield role at the Academy Stadium.
That’s reflected in her hugely impressive passing numbers, with the Japanese international attempting the third-most of any midfielder in the WSL last season.
Her average per 90 came to 56.8 attempts, with an incredible 50.5 finding their intended target, the best success rate of anyone in her position.
That equates to an astonishing 88.9%, but Hasegawa’s quality in possession has also often played an important role in driving Gareth Taylor’s side forward.
Indeed, she ranks 11th among her peers for progressive passes, making an average of 3.9 per 90 minutes according to Opta metrics.
On top of that, only Arsenal’s Frida Maanum and Brighton’s Katie Robinson completed more successful dribbles than the Japanese international across the WSL last season.
Picking up play from deep, Hasegawa’s ability to break opposition lines with a well-timed burst into space or with an accurate forward pass has often provided the spark needed for City’s attack to spring to life.
While rarely the player to finish off the move, the 26-year-old’s astute use of possession helps to bring the best out of her team-mates.
Indeed, Filippa Angeldahl and Laura Coombs both enjoyed their most productive seasons in a City shirt in terms of goal involvements in 2022/23, with Hasegawa’s positional intelligence providing the perfect foil for our midfield marvels to flourish.
However, her influence is felt just as keenly when Gareth Taylor’s side don’t have the ball.
Only Brighton’s Kayleigh Green made more interceptions per 90 than the Japanese international last season among WSL midfielders, with our number 25 crucial in preventing our opponents from mounting an attack before it could gather momentum.
She also won possession at an average of 8.0 per 90 minutes, ranking fifth among her peers across 2022/23, another remarkable achievement considering City’s tendency to dominate the ball.
While Hasegawa rarely grabs the headlines, she is a hugely important cog in Gareth Taylor’s well-oiled machine.
Having been named in the PFA Team of the Season for 2022/23, she’s sure to remain just as influential heading into the new campaign.
