Despite the injury suffered at the Asia Cup, Osako played for Japan in their defeat in the final against Qatar. Kohfeldt has not made any accusations towards the striker regarding why he was allowed to play in that match. “It is clear we do not need to dive into illusions.” Although Osako is unlikely to feature in the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday, Kohfeldt emphasised the important role that the striker plays in the Werder squad. “It is in the interests of all parties to reduce Yuya’s overall workload and we are in close discussions with the Japanese football association. We will certainly need Yuya for the final run in this season.”
Yuya Osako understood Werder Bremen’s decision to refuse the Japanese international to participate in this summer’s Copa America tournament, which Japan have been invited to take part in. “We reached this decision in unison with the player. There have been no disagreements from the Japanese footballer association either,” said Kohfeldt.