Ko Itakura: ‘The condition of my leg has improved a lot, now I’m looking forward to days ahead.’

Having missed the Bundesliga’s latest fixture before the winter break, an away match against Eintracht Frankfurt on 21 December (the home team won 2-1), Ko Itakura, a centre back of Borussia Mönchengladbach, joined the Japan national team training camp on 28 December. The 26-year-old defender assured that he would be able to play in the match against Thailand on 1 January and the following Asian Cup without any problems in terms of conditions.

“My leg has been hurting since the start of the season,” Itakura said. “I felt that my condition, especially my sharpness had not improved, so I had to cope with it. It got to the point where I thought it was going to be difficult without surgery, so I decided to have it done. I feel better now and can concentrate on football. It was a positive operation.”

Itakura established starting position at Borussia Mönchengladbach before surgery

Itakura has started the first seven Bundesliga games in a row and has scored twice. Despite his high performance, he was forced to play with pain throughout this period. After playing the international friendly match against Tunisia in October, he decided to undergo surgery. The operation was to remove a joint-free body in his left ankle. Initially, he expected to be back in the line-up before the winter break, but it seems to have taken longer than expected.

“That’s true,” he replied. “During rehabilitation, I had good and bad times, so it took a little more time. I had aimed (to return before the winter break), and had already joined the team (Mönchengladbach), but after consulting with the team I came to Japan without playing in the last club fixture. The condition of my leg is improving a lot, so I’m looking forward to the days ahead.”

This time, Japan national team invites legends such as former Schalke 04 defender Atsuto Uchida and ex-Kawasaki Frontale midfielder Kengo Nakamura as role model coaches. Itakura has fond memories with Nakamura, who had given uncountable advice to Itakura during his time at the Kawasaki academy and after his promotion to the first team. Role model coaches are designed to give advice to the current national team players by playing with them. They are usually nominated by former players who don’t have a formal coaching licence.

“When Kengo-san (Nakamura) speaks, it is easy to understand and persuasive,” Itakura continued. “At the time, I used to play as a defensive midfielder for the subs in intrasquad games and often played against Kengo-san, and he gave me a lot of advice. He was angry with me during training, but we had another repair session in the showers after practice haha. The fact that I was able to play with him from my first year at Frontale has led me to where I am now. I’m delighted to be playing with him again.”

Itakura is well on his way to a successful comeback, feeling close to his boyhood hero too.