Japan

Shinji Kagawa aims a place in Japan’s squad for 2018 World Cup

Shinji Kagawa expressed his disappointment after being left out of the national team squad for the upcoming international friendlies against Brazil and Belgium on November 10 and 14 respectively.

In the 25-man squad announced yesterday, coach Vahid Halilhodzic omitted Kagawa, along with Leicester City’s Shinji Okazaki and ex-AC Milan attacker Keisuke Honda.

“Honestly, is this the timing for me to be left out of the squad,” Kagawa said in an interview with Nikkan Sports.

“I feel it, and I should have earned a place for the World Cup because I have fought hard for the tournament in the last six months. But it is not for me to talk about the criteria used for the selection of players.”

“I will continue to look forward to the World Cup in the next six months. Because the next test is in March, it will be my foremost target. Maybe the coach will choose the best (players), so I am really looking forward to proving how far I can go.”

“Now I have to concentrate on getting good results with Dortmund. I was always proud to play for the national team, and that is something that I do not want to lose.”