BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Japan national team coach Hajime Moriyasu Concerned about star forward Kaoru Mitoma’s fitness and waiting before naming him world cup members on friday.
Mitoma limped off with an apparent hamstring injury during the second half of Brighton’s 3-0 Premier League win over Wolverhampton on Saturday.
Mitoma, one of Japan’s standout players at the 2022 World Cup, scored one goal. 1-0 victory over England At Wembley Stadium in March.
His World Cup appearance is in doubt, five weeks before Japan faces the Netherlands on June 14 in Arlington, Texas.
“I hope it’s a minor injury. The staff told me, ‘It doesn’t seem like it’s a minor injury,'” Coach Moriyasu reportedly told Japanese media about Mitoma on Sunday.
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler said: “It appeared to be a hamstring injury,” but the club will wait for scans to determine the severity.
7th place Brighton remain Compete for a spot in the Champions League There are only two matches left in the Premier League. England could get a record-tying six entries.
Japan’s World Cup plans are already missing another key forward Takumi Minamino suffers from ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. He will play in Monaco in December.
Japan will also face Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico on June 20th before returning to Texas to face Sweden on June 25th. The top two teams in Group F will advance to the Round of 32, with the possibility of a third-place team also joining them.
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer And the World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
