Japan’s Wataru Endo out of World Cup, confirms international retirement
Japan captain Wataru Endo has withdrawn from the nation’s World Cup squad after failing to recover from an ankle injury.
The Liverpool midfielder confirmed he would miss the tournament, and would subsequently retire from international football, just three days before Hajime Moriyasu’s side play against the Netherlands.
“Since my injury, I’ve done everything I possibly could up to this point, so I have no regrets whatsoever,” Endo, who played 73 times for Japan, wrote on social media.
“I’m proud of how we’ve grown together since the Qatar World Cup. The current team is truly a wonderful team and I believe they will overcome any adversity and show us sights we’ve never seen before.
“I will be retiring from the national team and from now, I’ll be cheering for Japan as one of the fans.
“The moment when the Japan national team wins the World Cup will surely come someday.”
Endo initially suffered ligament damage in February during a Premier League game against Sunderland, and only returned to the bench for Liverpool’s final game of the season against Brentford last month.
Japan head coach Moriyasu had hoped that the 33-year-old’s injury could be managed throughout the opening games of the tournament, but the issue failed to sufficiently improve during the squad’s first two weeks in camp.
The Japan Football Association (JFA) announced on Thursday that Endo would be replaced by Borussia Monchengladbach striker Shuto Machino, with Ajax’s Ko Itakura made captain.
Endo’s absence is a major blow for a Japan side who are already without talented Brighton & Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma due to injury, with Monaco’s Takumi Minamino also not selected after failing to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in time.
Though Japan are strong in wider areas, lessening the blow of Mitoma’s injury, central midfield was the one area where Moriyasu could not afford injuries. His side arguably lacks a direct replacement for their captain, with Endo’s ability to win duels and cover vast amounts of space allowing Japan’s forwards to press high out of possession.
The initial surprise of Japan’s squad selection was the decision not to select Endo’s regular midfield partner Hidemasa Morita, arguably the one player who can mimic his playing class.
However, even after Endo’s injury, Moriyasu resisted calling up the Sporting CP player, instead opting to select a fifth striker in Machino. The expectation is that defenders such as Ikatura could step up into midfield, while Endo’s absence also increases the likelihood of Leeds United’s Ao Tanaka starting.
Japan were one of the surprise packages of the last World Cup as they topped the ‘Group of Death’ with victories over Germany and Spain, before exiting on penalties to Croatia in the round of 16.
They begin their campaign against the Netherlands in Dallas on Sunday in one of the outstanding matches of the group stages.