This Brighton player has taken part in internal 7-on-7 game practice, but has not finished it.
Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma admitted that he could not confirm that he would be ready to play against the Indonesian national team in the final Group D match of the 2023 Asian Cup, Wednesday (24/1), at Al Thumama Stadium.
Mitoma is still included in the Japanese squad, even though he suffered a left ankle injury while playing for Brighton in the English Premier League last December against Crystal Palace. Manager Roberto De Zerbi was surprised by Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu’s decision to insist on bringing Mitoma.
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Mitoma’s condition slowly began to improve. This 26 year old player took part in an internal 7 versus 7 game, Tuesday (16/1). However, Mitoma did not take part in the internal gym fully, because then he only jogged accompanied by an assistant trainer.
Mitoma will almost certainly not be played when Japan faces Iraq in the second matchday of Group D, Friday (19/1). Mitoma admitted that he was happy to have joined the team, but could not confirm whether he would play in the final match against Indonesia when asked after training.
`It would be better if it could be played [melawan Indonesia], but I still don’t know. The swelling is fine, but there are several areas that feel sore. “Recovery is going well,” said Mitoma, who was smiling throughout the training.
“I feel happy to finally be together again after so long, even if only for a short time. I’m with the atmosphere in the team, it’s really fun. I can devour the training menu. But I train while checking my condition.”
On the other hand, Mitoma is quite ‘familiar’ with injuries. When asked about his playing style which makes it easy for him to get injured, Mitoma did not rule out this possibility.
“I’ve had injuries many times, and it’s a weakness I’ve had for a long time. That’s something I need to work on. The same goes for my playing style. “At least that’s what I think,” explained Mitoma.
2024-01-16 17:20:00
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