Japan suffers great injury flour for international friendly matches against Mexico, USA

Japan suffered a big blow when his midfielder Ao Tanaka sustained an injury while playing for Leeds United in the Premier League.

Tanaka, who signed for Leeds last summer, played 47 times, scored five goals and two assists and helps the team win the EFL championship last season.

He played the full game in the 1-0 victory of Leeds against Everton in his Premier League opener, but was replaced before the hourly sign against Arsenal.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke confirmed that the 26-year-old has collected a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury, but did not bring an exact timeline on his return.

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«MCL injury, he will also be out for a few weeks,» Farke said. «It is currently difficult to say exactly when he can return, but certainly not before the international break, so it is quite a similar injury like that of Ethan Ampadu.»

Tanaka, who made his international debut in 2019, played 32 times for the Samurai Blue, scored eight times and assists another goal.

He scored famous the winning goal of Japan against Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2022-one that was given controversial after cameras discovered that the ball had not gone out of the game during the structure.

His last international performance was in the Eaff Championship of 2025, where he helped to reach the final.

Published on August 27, 2025