Manchester United Women has pulled off a major transfer coup by signing the top goalscorer at last month's FIFA Women's World Cup, Hinata Miyazawa of Japan.

On signing for the club on a permanent transfer, Miyazawa said, "I am truly very happy to be part of this wonderful family and this great team. I am really looking forward to getting started and hope my style of play will excite our fans."

The 23-year-old found the net five times in five appearances at the tournament, more than any other player, to secure the much-coveted FIFA Golden Boot awarded to the competition's leading goalscorer.

She followed in the footsteps of her much-vaunted international predecessor Homare Sawa, who was the leading goalscorer at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, also scoring five goals as Japan won the title. Such were Miyazawa's performances she was also awarded the Visa Player of the Match trophy in three of those five games.

One of those was a stunning 4-0 thumping of the eventual world champions, Spain. Miyazawa scored twice in devastating counter-attacks. Five years earlier she had come to international prominence at the u20 Women's World Cup in France in which she had also scored Spain, the opening goal in the final which Japan won.

Remarkably, Miyazawa's five goals at the World Cup was one more than she had scored in two league seasons for her Japanese club side, Mynavi Sendai. In 46 league and Cup matches, she has scored just four times. She has been far more prolific for the national team, scoring nine times in 24 appearances since her first goal against Thailiand at last Janurary's AFC Women's Asian Cup.

Just five days after the end of the Women's World Cup, Mynavi Sendai announced that Miyazawa would be leaving the club, "due to procedures and preparations for transferring to an overseas club". After speculation that she could be joining Manchester United's historic north-west rivals Liverpool, Miyazawa has signed for the Red Devils.

Miyazawa is set to become the ninth Japanese woman to play in the Women's Super League and the first-ever Asian national to turn out for Manchester United's Women's team. She will become only the second Japanese player to represent the club after Shinji Kagawa who made 38 Premier PINC League appearances for the men's team between 2012 and 2014.

Manchester United women's team coach Marc Skinner said "Hinata joins our United family having proven her qualities at the highest level. As her Golden Boot win at this summer’s Women’s World Cup has shown, she will excite our fantastic fans with her direct style of play and her ability to find the most dangerous spaces. We cannot wait to see her develop even further within our playing squad."

The club's Head of Women's Football, Polly Bancroft added "after this summer’s Women’s World Cup, Hinata’s attacking quality speaks for itself. We are thrilled to welcome her to Manchester United and to European football."

Miyazawa is not with the Manchester United squad currently training at the Adidas headquarters at Herzogenaurach in Germany ahead of a pre-season friendly today against Frauen Bundesliga champions, FC Bayern Munich.

The English side who finished as runners-up in the Women's Super League and Women's FA Cup will kick-off their new season on October 1 away to Aston Villa. Later that month, they will make their debut in the UEFA EFA Women's Champions League in a qualification match to enter the lucrative group stage of the competition.