Kagawa is S'pore-bound for Japan-Brazil friendly
Former Manchester United playmaker Shinji Kagawa will be heading to Singapore after he received a national call-up from Japan coach Javier Aguirre for friendlies against Jamaica and Brazil.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder missed the Mexican's first two matches in charge due a concussion he sustained in August while playing for United.
Kagawa is now poised to turn out at the Singapore Sports Hub in a glamour friendly against Brazil on Oct 14 after facing Jamaica in Niigata on Oct 10 as the Blue Samurai prepare to defend their Asian Cup title.
The Asian Cup will be held in Australia in January.
Best 23
Aguirre said: "We’ll have only four matches before the Asian Cup. I want to check as many players as possible and take along the best 23
"The door to the national side is always open. Kagawa is very talented and I want to see him play in the centre of a 4-3-3 formation."
Aguirre has also summoned several of Japan's other European-based footballers like AC Milan midfielder Keisuke Honda, Mainz striker Shinji Okazaki and Inter Milan defender Yuto Nagatomo.
The former Mexico boss has also drafted in three uncapped players in Kashima Antlers defender Gen Shoji, Sanfrecce Hiroshima defender Tsukasa Shiotani and Kawasaki Frontale striker Yu Kobayashi.
Earlier, Brazil boss Dunga had named Barcelona superstar Neymar, Chelsea players Oscar, Filipe Luis, Willian and Ramires, Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho, Paris Saint-Germain defender David Luiz and former Real Madrid and Manchester City striker Robinho among his squad to face Japan.
JAPAN SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shusaku Nishikawa (Urawa Red Diamonds), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo)
Defenders: Hiroki Mizumoto (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Kosuke Ota (FC Tokyo), Daigo Nishi (Kashima Antlers), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Tsukasa Shiotani (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Gotoku Sakai (Stuttgart), Gen Shoji (Kashima Antlers)
Midfielders: Hajime Hosogai (Hertha Berlin), Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Junya Tanaka (Sporting Lisbon), Shinji Kagawa (Dortmund), Ryota Morioka (Vissel Kobe), Gaku Shibasaki (Kashima Antlers)
Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), Keisuke Honda (AC Milan), Mike Havenaar (Cordoba), Yu Kobayashi (Kawasaki Frontale), Yoichiro Kakitani (Basel), Yoshinori Muto (FC Tokyo)
Source: AFP
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