Shinji Kagawa admitted after Manchester United's final home game of the campaign on Tuesday that this season has been his toughest since moving to Europe four years ago.
Kagawa made his debut in defensive midfield in United's 3-1 win over Hull City, an assignment he wasn't expecting from interim manager Ryan Giggs.
Kagawa played the entire 90 minutes but again failed to score, leaving him without a single goal this season ahead of Sunday's finale at Southampton.
If he doesn't score this weekend, it will be the first time in his career in both Japan and Europe for Kagawa to finish a season without scoring.
"I was surprised myself," Kagawa said. "I was trying to get involved in the attack as much as possible. If we were more efficient, we could have won by an even bigger margin."
Kagawa will likely be named to Alberto Zaccheroni's World Cup 23 on Monday, and sounded determined to put the disappointing year behind him in Brazil this summer.
"I had nothing to show for," Kagawa said. "It's been a very difficult, trying season for me. But my career goes on. It's on me to get something out of this experience. I've got the World Cup, and it really is up to me to make the most of this situation."