Leeds star Ao Tanaka earns Japan recall for Brazil showdown | OneFootball

Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka has been named in Japan’s squad for their upcoming October friendlies against Paraguay and Brazil.

Hajime Moriyasu’s side will face Paraguay on Friday 10 October (11:20 BST) at the Suita City Stadium before meeting five-time world champions Brazil on Tuesday 14 October (11:30 BST) at the Ajinomoto Stadium in Tokyo.

Tanaka, 27, has made four Premier League appearances for Leeds this season and last played for his country in March, completing 90 minutes in a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia. He has 32 caps for Japan since making his debut in 2019.

The midfielder, who featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, will join up with a squad already preparing for next year’s tournament, with Japan having secured qualification earlier this summer.

Moriyasu is expected to use the fixtures to test combinations and build momentum ahead of the finals.

Japan Squad:

Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Zion Suzuki (Parma), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden), Ko Itakura (Ajax), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Tomoya Ando (Avispa Fukuoka), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre), Junnosuke Suzuki (Copenhagen), Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito (Genk), Takumi Minamino (Monaco), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Yuki Soma (Machida Zelvia), Koki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Ao Tanaka (Leeds), Shuto Machino (Borussia Monchengladbach), Keito Nakamura (Reims), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Koki Saito (Queens Park Rangers), Henry Heroki Mochizuki (Machida Zelvia), Joel Chima Fujita (St. Pauli)