Wataru Endo was left out of the Japan squad at the final hour after suffering an injury in his last appearance for Liverpool – as now explained by his national team manager.
Endo was set to join up with Japan for their friendlies against Paraguay and Brazil this month but it was later announced that he had pulled out.
It was unclear exactly why the midfielder was not involved with the Japanese FA simply citing an unspecified injury.
The 32-year-old has since been revealed to be suffering with a hamstring complaint picked up in his cameo appearance against Chelsea in Liverpool’s final game before the October break.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of last week’s 2-2 draw with Paraguay, Japan manager Moriyasu Hajime suggested it would not be a major issue for Endo.
“I was thinking about whether to call him up until the very last minute,” Hajime explained per Nikkan Sports.
“Asking him to come from Europe again would be a burden for him, so I thought that the current number would be enough.”
The decision to omit Endo was a sensible one given Japan were not involved in World Cup qualifiers this month and a long-haul flight to Asia could have impacted his recovery.
Japan were subsequently restricted to 26 players for their two friendlies due to a scheduling conflict that saw four J1 League clubs involved in the YBC Levain Cup semi-finals last week.
Endo able to focus on his recovery
Liverpool will have welcomed the decision not to risk their No. 3 as they prepare for another busy run of fixtures between the two international breaks.
Arne Slot‘s side will return to action at home to Man United on Sunday to kick off a run of seven games in 22 days including clashes with Eintracht Frankfurt, Crystal Palace, Real Madrid and Man City.
While Endo’s minutes have been limited so far this season, the news that Ryan Gravenberch was substituted at half-time for the Netherlands on Sunday may increase his chances in the coming weeks.
Gravenberch was not used beyond the opening 45 minutes of a 4-0 win over Finland as manager Ronald Koeman “didn’t take any risks” with a minor fitness issue.
Both Gravenberch and Endo are not only considered options in their natural No. 6 role but also as emergency cover at centre-back following serious injury to Giovanni Leoni.
Ibrahima Konate is not yet confirmed to be available for the meeting with Man United either, which would see Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez as Slot’s only fit specialist centre-backs.
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