Overview
- Mitoma, who left Brighton’s match with a left hamstring issue on Saturday, faces what coach Hajime Moriyasu called an injury that does not look minor.
- Japan’s medical staff are assessing him in Europe, and Moriyasu said he will decide on selection as late as the roster deadline on Friday.
- Coaches are mapping fallback plans that could shift Junya Ito to left wing-back and use Keito Nakamura in a front three, with Jun Suzuki and Daizen Maeda also under consideration for the left side.
- Selection pressure has grown because other attacking options have been hurt, including Takumi Minamino’s ACL tear last year and Yui Suzuki’s broken clavicle in recent matches.
- Mitoma has delivered big moments for Japan yet has struggled to stay fully fit at past major tournaments, which shapes how the staff judge the risk now.