Roberto De Zerbi Surprised by Kaoru Mitoma's Japan Call Up

Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi expressed surprise at injured winger Kaoru Mitoma’s inclusion in Japan’s squad for the upcoming Asian Cup. Despite expecting Mitoma to be out for up to six weeks, Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu admitted uncertainty about Mitoma’s availability for the first game against Vietnam on January 14th but remained hopeful that he would recover in time. In addition to Mitoma, Brighton will also be without forward Simon Adingra, who has been selected for Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).