Manager Moriyasu of Japan, and Furuhashi, the ‘Scotland’s 27-goal top scorer,’ will turn away…Fellows Oh Hyun-kyu, Maeda, and Hadate will all play in the Asian Cup

Oh Hyun-gyu (23), Daizen Maeda (27), and Leo Hadate (27, Celtic) will all play at the Asian Cup, but top striker Kyogo Furuhashi (29, Celtic) was shunned again. The Japan Football Association (JFA) officially announced the final list of 26 national teams for Qatar 2023 at the AFC Asian Cup on its official website on Sunday.

Japan, which is aiming to win its fifth Asian Cup title, will join Group D and compete with Iraq, Vietnam, and Indonesia at the Asian Cup. Japan has planned two friendly matches ahead of the Asian Cup opening on May 13. Japan defeated Thailand 5-0 at home on May 1, and will move on to Qatar to conduct its final evaluation against Jordan in Doha. The match against Jordan will be held behind closed doors. It will be held in a practice format, not an A match.

Japan, which completely defeated Thailand 5-0, officially announced its final roster of 26 players for the Asian Cup after the match ended. Again, no name is found for Celtic’s main striker Kyogo Furuhashi. Celtic won three gold medals in the Scottish Premiership, FA Cup and League Cup last season. Furuhashi was at the center of Celtic’s success last season.

Furuhashi made it to Celtic in 2021 after going through Japan’s climate and Vissel Kobe. He played a big role in elevating Celtic back to the best team in Scotland, winning two league and cup titles in his first season and three league titles in his second season. Furuhashi scored 12 league goals in his first season. In his second season, he swept various individual awards, including the league’s top scorer and season’s best eleven, with 27 goals.

Despite the outstanding performances of his team, he was far from the Japanese team. Notably, he failed to make it to the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. This compares with Daizen Maeda, who is currently playing alongside Kyogo at Celtic, playing as a starting member at the World Cup. Furuhashi also scored his fourth A-match goal at a friendly match with El Salvador in June, showing his performance at Celtic.

However, the Japanese coach turned a blind eye to Furuhashi again. Furuhashi’s scoring performance was worse than last season for his team during the 2023-2024 season. He played 28 official matches, including 21 in the league, but scored only 10 goals. It could be unfair for Furuhashi. Maeda, another Celtic midfielder, was able to board the Moriyasu without any problems. 토토

In addition, Oh Hyun-kyu, who has been playing for a relatively short time as a substitute for Furuhashi in his team, was also chosen by coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Oh Hyun-kyu, who has five goals for Celtic this season, can play the Asian Cup with Cho Kyu-sung and Son Heung-min in attack, but Furuhashi is not possible.

Meanwhile, some Japanese fans are also questioning the announcement of the list. One fan said, “Why is it Ueda, not Furuhashi? If you put your skills first, Furuhashi is right.” He questioned the choice of Ayase Ueda, who only played one game in the 2023-2024 season at Feyenoord.

“Despite the differences in league level, Furuhashi is also scoring goals on the big stage. Ueda is not worth choosing now,” another fan said. “It is clear that Moriyasu has been informed by Celtic that only two out of three players will be able to play in the Asian Cup. Otherwise, Furuhashi cannot be ignored.”