JAKARTA -iron Mitoma became one of the players called in to the Japan national team squad for the 2023 Asian Cup. However, his summons surprised Brighton & Hove Albion manager, Roberto De Zerbi,.
The shock that included De Zerbi was not without reason. The reason is, he learned that Mitoma had an ankle injury, which happened when Brighton faced Crystal Palace on December 21, 2023.
Due to the incident, Mitoma is predicted to have to rest for 4-6 weeks. However, the Japanese national team called him into the squad for the 2023 Asian Cup.
"I am very surprised because my medical team said that (Kaoru) Mitoma took 4-6 weeks due to this injury," said De Zerbi, quoted from the official Premier League website on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.
"For me, this is surprising because it's hard to think that with that injury he can play in the Asian Cup," he continued.
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Although Mitoma's injury call surprised De Zerbi, on the other hand he clearly fully supports the player so that he can perform optimally in the 2023 Asian Cup.
The manager also admitted that he was proud that Mitoma could actually play on the field to strengthen Japan.
I am a Mitoma fan, a fan of all my players. If they can play for the national team, I am very happy and proud," said De Zerbi.
On another occasion, Japan's coach, Hajime Moriyasu, hopes Mitoma can play for the team from the group stage.
"I don't know the chance he can be ready from the first game, but his recovery is going well. I hope he can appear in the group stage," said Moriyasu.
In the 2023 Asian Cup, Japan is in Group D. They will fight against the Indonesian, Vietnamese and Iraqi national teams.
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