DUSSELDORF: Borussia Monchengladbach defender Ko Itakura has left to represent Japan at the upcoming Asian Cup, after the Bundesliga club agreed that he was fit to play at the tournament.
Itakura, 25, had returned to Germany from the national team for a few training units and a friendly game last week.
This was an unusual measure but Itakura had previously injured himself on national team duty in autumn and not played until Saturday's friendly against Dutch club Go Ahead Eagles during the Bundesliga winter break.
"We wish Ko all the best for the tournament. He played 60 minutes of the friendly on Saturday and passed the test of stamina. Therefore,we agreed to let him travel," Gladbach managing director for sport, Roland Virkus, said.
"The Asian Cup is a huge tournament for Asian countries, similar to the Euros for European countries. We therefore respected that the Japanese association wanted to have Ko on board for this important competition."
The Asian Cup in Qatar starts on Friday, with four-time champions Japan facing Vietnam, Iraq and Indonesia in the group stage. The final is on February 10. -- dpa
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