Japan's captain Wataru Endo has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a foot injury and announced his retirement from international football, just days before the team's opening match against the Netherlands.

The Liverpool midfielder failed to recover from the injury and was replaced in the squad by Borussia Mönchengladbach's Shuto Machino. Endo, 33, expressed frustration but backed his team to impress in Group F, which also includes Tunisia and Sweden.

Endo suffered a season-ending foot injury in February while playing for Liverpool against Sunderland. He returned for Japan in a friendly against Iceland on May 31 but was substituted at halftime due to discomfort.

Making his debut in 2015, Endo retires with 73 caps and four goals. He was part of Japan's squads for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, featuring in their historic wins over Germany and Spain.

Japan will begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands, with Endo now supporting from the sidelines as a fan.

Source: www.aljazeera.com