The Japan squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Bahrain and Saudi Arabia has been announced, with Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, and Reo Hatate all included.
For Kyogo, the call-up validates his decision to leave Celtic, with the forward admitting that his move to Rennes was driven by his desire to break into the national team. However, the selection is a strange one.
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Since leaving Celtic, Kyogo has played just three times for Rennes, with only one start and no goal contributions in 92 minutes of football. [Transfermarkt] Contrast that with his time in Glasgow, where he was scoring in the Champions League and domestically, yet couldn’t get near the Japan squad. Despite doing little to earn the call-up on current form, his move has seemingly worked out in his favour.
Daizen Maeda, meanwhile, is a regular under Hajime Moriyasu, usually playing through the middle for Japan. He has been leading the line for Celtic recently and is in red-hot form, making his selection no surprise.
Reo Hatate, on the other hand, has struggled to cement his place in the Japan squad. At times, he has travelled only to train without playing a single minute. He will be hoping that this time around, he can get game time and prove his worth at international level.
