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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Mark Walker

Moriyasu confirms Kyogo & Maeda Celtic injury disappointment as pair miss Japan games

Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu has revealed Celtic duo Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda are both gutted to miss out on their World Cup qualifiers.

The Parkhead duo were both withdrawn within a few days after Maeda was injured after he was sent off in Celtic's Champions League hammering against Atletico Madrid.

And then Furuhashi was knocked out initially after a challenge from Aberdeen defender Slobodan Rubezic, with both withdrawing alongside colleague Reo Hatate who is out with a long-term setback.

Japan face Myanmar at home in Suita, before travelling to Saudi Arabia to play against Syria.

And Moriyasu admitted losing the Celtic duo was a blow.

He said: "It's a shame to miss them both, but the players are the ones who are most disappointed.

"First of all, the most important thing is that both recover fully and return to being productive at their club.

"I think they are players who have the strong will and power to do that.

"I'm proud of the depth of our squad though with so many players to choose from and the performance and presence they've shown both overseas and domestically."

Japan's next game after their World Cup qualifiers is a friendly on New Year's Day against Thailand where the Celtic representation won't be called up for before their Asian Cup campaign in Qatar starts with a game against Vietnam. They also play Iraq and Indonesia in their group.

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