Wataru Endo was due to represent Japan at this summer’s World Cup in North America
Liverpool ace Wataru Endo has been ruled out of this summer’s World Cup due to injury and has subsequently announced his retirement from international football. Endo had been selected for his national team’s squad for the upcoming competition, despite spending most of the latter part of Liverpool’s season sidelined with an injury.
The Japan international sustained a severe foot injury during Liverpool’s victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in February, which saw him out of action for the majority of the rest of the season.
As well as being included in Japan’s World Cup squad, Endo was also named as a substitute for Liverpool’s 1-1 stalemate with Brentford on the final day of the Premier League season on 24 May.
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However, officials from the Japan national team have now confirmed that Endo has been pulled from the squad.
Reports from Japan indicate that Endo did not participate in Japan’s training session in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday.
It has also emerged that Masakuni Yamamoto, the National Team Director of the Japan Football Association, has announced that Endo’s foot injury has not healed and he will be departing the squad ahead of the World Cup this summer.
Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Shuto Machino has been drafted in as Endo’s replacement in the squad for the forthcoming World Cup.
Japan, who have been placed in Group F for the World Cup this summer, are set to face off against the Netherlands (June 14), Tunisia (June 21) and Sweden (June 26) during the initial stage of the tournament, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Endo’s exit means that seven Liverpool players will now be participating in this summer’s World Cup. Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo have all been selected for the Netherlands squad for the competition, while Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina), Alisson Becker (Brazil), Florian Wirtz (Germany) and Alexander Isak (Sweden) will also be heading to North America.
The extent of Endo’s injury is yet to be determined, with the midfielder optimistic about his chances of participating in Liverpool’s pre-season training, which will be overseen by new manager Andoni Iraola.
Following the announcement of his withdrawal from the World Cup squad, Endo also took the opportunity to send a message to Japan fans and announce his retirement from international football.
“As announced, I will be stepping away from the World Cup squad,” Endo posted on social media.
“Since my injury, I’ve done everything I possibly could up to this point, so I have no regrets whatsoever.
“Of course, there’s frustration at not being able to participate in this World Cup, but more than that, I’m proud of how we’ve grown together since the Qatar World Cup – me as captain, leading this team and turning our goal of ‘winning the World Cup’ into something we can say as a matter of course.
“The current team is truly a wonderful team. I believe they will overcome any adversity and show us sights we’ve never seen before.
“With this campaign, I will be retiring from the national team. So from here on, I’ll be cheering for the Japan national team as one of the fans.
“The moment when the Japan national team wins the World Cup will surely come someday.
“Let’s believe in that and cheer them on together. And let’s unite Japan’s strength as one so that moment comes in this tournament-everyone, let’s take on the North and Central America World Cup together! !”.
“Everyone, give it everything you’ve got. Wataru Endo.”
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass ‘designed for football’
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