Despite sustaining an ankle injury that could keep him out of play for up to six weeks, Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma has been included in Japan’s 26-man squad for the Asian Cup in Qatar starting on January 12.
This decision comes despite Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi confirming Mitoma’s need for time off after injuring his ankle in a match against Crystal Palace on December 21.
Additionally, Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Real Sociedad attacking midfielder Takefusa Kubo were also named in the squad, while Lazio’s Daichi Kamada was omitted.
The squad includes Celtic’s Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate, but Kyogo Furuhashi did not make the cut. Japan, aiming for their fifth Asian Cup victory, have been placed in Group D and are set to compete against Indonesia, Iraq, and Vietnam in the initial stage of the tournament.
This follows their 2019 Asian Cup final loss to Qatar, where they were defeated 3-1.
Japan squad:
Goalkeepers: Daiya Maekawa (Vissel Kobe), Zion Suzuki (Sint-Truiden/BEL), Taishi Brandon Nozawa (FC Tokyo)
Defenders: Shogo Taniguchi (Al-Rayyan/QAT), Kou Itakura (Monchengladbach/GER), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Gent/BEL), Yuta Nakayama (Huddersfield/ENG), Koki Machida (Union SG/BEL), Seiya Maikuma (Cerezo Osaka), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal/ENG), Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart/GER), Yukinari Sugawara (AZ/NED)
Midfielders/forwards: Wataru Endo (Liverpool/ENG), Junya Ito (Reims/FRA), Takuma Asano (Bochum/GER), Takumi Minamino (Monaco/FRA), Hidemasa Morita (Sporting/POR), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton/ENG), Daizen Maeda (Celtic/SCO), Reo Hatate (Celtic/SCO), Ritsu Doan (Freiburg/GER), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord/NED), Keito Nakamura (Reims/FRA), Kaishu Sano (Kashima Antlers), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad/ESP), Mao Hosoya (Kashiwa Reysol)