Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma said Tuesday his trainer expects him to recover from a right ankle injury in time to play for Japan at the World Cup in Qatar.
"My trainer said I can get back in time," said Mitoma, who has missed his English Premier League club's last two matches after sustaining the injury on Oct. 14 against Brentford. "Now I'm only thinking about how quickly I can recover."
Mitoma is training separately from teammates and does not know if he will be able to play in Saturday's match against Chelsea, an important fixture given the fast-starting Brighton have lost three of their past four games.
The World Cup will begin on Nov. 20, and Japan will play their first match three days later against Germany. The Samurai Blue squad for the World Cup will be announced on Nov. 1.
