"I was really surprised because my medical staff confirmed that Kaoru Mitoma needed 4 to 6 weeks to treat the injury.
"In my opinion, it's hard to think that he can play in the Asian Cup," coach Roberto De Zerbi said after striker Kaoru Mitoma was injured in the 1-1 draw between Brighton and Crystal Palace in late 2023 but still trained with the Japanese team.
Previously, Japanese striker Kaoru Mitoma had to leave Selhurst Park on crutches after suffering a serious injury in the match of round 18 of the Premier League.
Despite being injured in the match between Brighton and Crystal Palace on December 21, Mitoma was still called up by the Japanese team to attend the 2023 Asian Cup (Photo: AFP).
According to Brighton's medical team, Mitoma will need more than a month to recover from the injury, while the 2023 Asian Cup will officially start from January 12 to February 10.
However, Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu surprised everyone by still including the 26-year-old player in the squad for the tournament in Qatar in the next few days.
Japan will play their opening match at the 2023 Asian Cup against Vietnam on January 14. Coach Moriyasu hopes Mitoma will be fit enough to be in the squad for the group stage, but he admits the Brighton star is unlikely to play against Vietnam.
Coach Moriyasu shared, "I don't know if Mitoma will be ready for the first match, but he is recovering well and I hope he will be available at the beginning."
The Japanese team is considered a candidate for the championship of this year's tournament, they are in Group D with the Vietnamese team and two other teams, Iraq and Indonesia. Right before facing the Vietnamese team, Japan won a big victory over Thailand in a friendly match to prepare for the Asian Cup with a score of 5-0 on January 1 in Tokyo.
In the past six months, from June 2023 to present, coach Hajime Moriyasu's team has won all 9 friendly matches they participated in, scoring a total of 39 goals and conceding only 5 goals.
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