Itakura to miss the rest of Gladbach's games in 2022
Gladbach coach Daniel Farke has revealed that Ko Itakura will miss the rest of the Bundesliga club's games in 2022, with the Japanese international facing a battle with time to be fit for the World Cup.
Two months before the start of the World Cup in Qatar, Florian Neuhaus and Ko Itakura have both suffered serious injuries.
With Neuhaus' dream of making Germany's squad already shattered, Itakura is now in serious danger of missing out for Japan due to a knee problem.
Speaking to Bild, Gladbach coach Daniel Farke has confirmed that both players will miss the rest of Gladbach's games in 2022.
"Ko has been a bit of a player of the season for us so far. The boys are both feeling a bit down. We will unfortunately have to do without both of them in this calendar year, have to play the next nine games without them. It's far from ideal - but it's the reality," Farke said.
"There is no way [Itakura] will play at the World Cup if he's still feeling slightly injured," added the Gladbach coach.
"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to get some match practice at the World Cup after a long injury break. The Bundesliga season doesn't start again until mid-January. But of course that's only an option if the injury is completely healed. It shouldn't be a disadvantage for us as an employer."
Ko Itakura has played 12 games for Japan's senior national team, scoring once.