Japan star Kaoru racing against time to recover ahead of World Cup
Japan midfielder Kaoru Mitoma is brimming with confidence that he will fully recover in time for the 2022 Qatar World Cup to represent Japan.
Mitoma and Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu form Japan’s mainstay going into the lucrative tournament.
The Brighton and Hove Albion midfield enforcer suffered a nasty ankle injury two weeks ago when they played against Brentford.
And as a result, he missed the club’s last two assignments against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.
However, at this point, it is not clear if the 25-year-old will recover in time for the global tourney.
But what gives him confidence is that his club medical department has assured him that recovery before the World Cup finals is possible.
MITOMA REMAINS POSITIVE
“My trainer said I can get back in time. Now I’m only thinking about how quickly I can recover. I can only be hopeful and positive about it,’ Mitoma said, as quoted by the Japan Times.
Four rounds of Premier League games remain before the much-anticipated World Cup finals begins.
And Mitoma will hope to feature in one of the four games before joining the Japanese camp.
What is clear at this stage is that he will miss Brighton and Hove Albion’s upcoming clash against Chelsea, when they face their former manager Graham Potter for the first time since his departure.
Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu will hope to have Mitoma in his ranks as he is one of the highly-rated Japanese players at the moment.
Moriyasu’a charges were drawn against two former World Cup holders, Spain and Germany, along with Costa Rica.
Spain and Germany are the natural favourites to progress from this group, but Japan, who will be making their eighth appearance in this competition, remain a force to reckon with.
Since his national team debut in November 2021, Mitoma has been capped nine times, with five goals to his name.
For his club, Mitoma has featured in seven matches for the England outfit in this campaign, though without goals to his name.