Celtic’s Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda have been selected to join the Japan squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. [JFA]
Reo Hatate has been working to establish himself as a member of the squad while he heals from an injury he incurred while serving on the national team. The fact that he was called up shows that national team manager Hajime Moriyasu still has him very much in mind. It also suggests that his recuperation and play have maintained him in the running for more frequent starts.
Conversely, Daizen Maeda has been a regular in the national lineup, recently being chosen for nearly every squad. His frequent participation as a key player for both his club and nation can surely be attributed to his solid performances for Celtic.
For Kyogo, another Celtic star who has been overlooked by Moriyasu for a spot on the national squad, the news is less encouraging. The coaching staff of the national team doesn’t seem to be fond of Kyogo despite his impressive performances for Celtic.
Iwata also loses out on a call-up despite having a strong season and winning the J-League player of the year award earlier.
Japan will play a match against Syria on June 11 and Myanmar on Thursday, June 6. Japan is comfortably ahead of Syria in second place, leading them by five points in their World Cup qualification group.
