Kaoru Mitoma will be sidelined for Brighton‘s final two matches of the Premier League season, raising concerns about his availability for the World Cup.
The Japan winger picked up a hamstring injury during Albion’s 3-0 victory over Wolves last weekend.
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“He will be unavailable for the next two matches,” Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler told reporters prior to Saturday’s clash against Leeds.
“As for the World Cup, we’re still uncertain. We’ll keep in touch with the Japanese federation.”
“This is a significant setback. We have a robust squad and have demonstrated this season that we can compensate for the absence of key players. We see this as an opportunity to unite.”
“We must approach this injury with caution, as we can’t provide a definitive timeline for his recovery.”
“He will miss our upcoming two matches, which is unfortunate for Kaoru. He had been performing well and contributing significantly to our success.”
Japan is set to kick off their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on June 14 in Arlington, Texas.
The team will also face Tunisia on June 20 in Monterrey, Mexico, followed by a match against Sweden on June 25 in Texas. The top two teams from Group F will progress to the round of 32, with the possibility for the third-place team to advance as well.
At 28, Mitoma has scored nine goals in 31 appearances for Japan.
“I hope it’s just a minor injury. However, the staff mentioned that it doesn’t seem trivial,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu told Japanese media on Sunday regarding Mitoma’s condition.
Contributions from PA and The Associated Press are acknowledged in this report.