Atsushi Yanagisawa's hopes of returning to the Japan squad for the Asian Cup appear to be over after the Kashima Antlers striker suffered a broken foot.
The 29-year-old suffered the injury after scoring twice in the Antlers' 2-1 J-League victory against Shimizu S-Pulse on Saturday and has been sidelined for at least three months.
Yanagisawa won the Asian Cup with Japan in 2000 and also played at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals, but has since been overlooked by coach Ivica Osim.
Defending champions Japan, who have won three of the last four tournaments, begin their Asian Cup challenge against Qatar on July 9 before rounding off their Group B campaign against the UAE and co-hosts Vietnam.
Yanagisawa won the Asian Cup with Japan in 2000 and also played at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals, but has since been overlooked by coach Ivica Osim.
Defending champions Japan, who have won three of the last four tournaments, begin their Asian Cup challenge against Qatar on July 9 before rounding off their Group B campaign against the UAE and co-hosts Vietnam.
Copyright (c) Press Association
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