Japan’s tactical plans suffer a crushing blow as a hamstring injury sidelines Brighton’s star winger, robbing the global stage of one of the world’s most electric dribblers.
Brighton and Hove Albion winger Kaoru Mitoma has been confirmed to miss the World Cup.
The Japanese international has had another significant Premier League season at the club, and his absence will be a devastating one for him and the side. Mitoma has been officially left out of the World Cup side after head coach Moriyasu said to Sky:
"I thought the most about how to replace [Mitoma] this time
I received a report from medical staff that a return during this tournament would be difficult, and I gave up on selecting him."
Yesterday, Fabian Hürzeler confirmed that Brighton and the Japan National set-up were in direct contact over what would be the best course of action to take.
Hürzeler confirmed the nature of the injury is a hamstring issue.
Especially given Mitoma's injury record, it makes sense to make the difficult decisions to limit further damage. Mitoma relies on his bursts and sprints, as well as his unique ability to dribble past players. Aggravating a hamstring issue with these qualities would be detrimental towards his career.
Mitoma would have been one of the stars of the tournament for Japan, with the majority of Albion fans looking forward to seeing him on the global stage. Fans across both Japan and Brighton have been of the joint opinion that he is criminally underrated in the grand scheme of football. From close dribbling to world-class goals, Mitoma has shown almost everything to his fans in recent years.
I truly wish Mitoma the very best with his recovery, and feel devastated to be robbed of the chance to see him shine like we know he can.