Yosuke Ideguchi has been left out of the latest Japan squad.
Yosuke Ideguchi was handed a dream move to England in January, signing for Leeds United before being loaned out to feeder club Cultural Leonesa in Spain – but 2018 has started poorly for the midfielder.
Having thrived with Gamba Osaka, Ideguchi was snapped up by Leeds, but couldn’t immediately join the club due to work permit issues, meaning he is spending the second half of the season with Leonesa.
However, the 21-year-old midfielder has started just once for Leonesa since his move to Spain’s second tier, making a total of five appearances whilst being substituted at half time in his first start.
Ideguchi’s woes in Spain now present a problem to the youngster, given that he has been left out of Vahid Halilhodzic’s Japan squad to face Mali and Ukraine later this month.
Ryota Oshima and Kento Misao appear to be in the box seat for Japan’s World Cup squad, and Ideguchi faces a real battle to get back into the squad given that he’s barely featuring in Spain.
That may just present a major problem for Leeds, given that the Daily Mail reported in December that the Whites were confident that he would qualify for a work permit for next season given that he would be featuring prominently at the World Cup.
If Ideguchi misses out on the tournament and the subsequent caps, then a work permit to play in England next season would be in serious doubt, meaning Leeds would again be forced to loan him out.
Given his troubles in 2018, Leeds may not want to loan him out again, and whilst the midfielder has time to turn things around before the World Cup, his deal with Leeds hasn’t quite gone to plan so far.
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