Hajime Moriyasu, the head coach of Japan’s national football team, has expressed his disappointment over the absence of Celtic players Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda from the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

Both players had to withdraw due to injuries sustained while playing for their club.

Maeda was injured following a red card incident in Celtic’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid. Shortly afterward, Furuhashi also had to withdraw from the national squad after an injury resulting from a challenge in a game against Aberdeen. Their fellow countryman, Reo Hatate, is also out with a long-term injury.

Moriyasu highlighted the disappointment felt by the players themselves, emphasising the importance of their full recovery and return to form at Celtic.

He said: [The Herald]

“It’s a shame to miss them both, but the players are the ones who are most disappointed.

“First of all, the most important thing is that both recover fully and return to being productive at their club.

“I think they are players who have the strong will and power to do that.

“I’m proud of the depth of our squad though with so many players to choose from and the performance and presence they’ve shown both overseas and domestically.”

Looking ahead, Japan’s next fixture following the World Cup qualifiers is a friendly against Thailand on New Year’s Day, a game for which the Celtic players are not expected to be called up for.

Japan then embarks on their Asian Cup campaign in Qatar, facing Vietnam, Iraq, and Indonesia in their group stage. The games will take place in between the 14th and 24th of January. Should Japan get out of their group, which they likely will, their games will run into February.