Shunsuke Nakamura has joined Japan’s coaching staff for the World Cup, the JFA have announced.
The ex-Celtic man will link up with manager Hajime Moriyasu for this summer’s tournament in North America.
Just last month, Nakamura returned to Glasgow to work as a pundit for Scotland’s friendly against Japan at Hampden, and was reunited with Kieran Tierney in a wholesome moment the day before the game.
Now, he can look forward to being involved for real with the Samurai Blue, for whom he made 98 appearances as a player.
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Celtic hero Shunsuke Nakamura appointed as a coach for Japan
Via the Japanese FA website, Nakamura said of the news: “I am pleased to announce that I will be joining the staff as a coach for the Japanese national team.
“I carefully considered the impact of my joining at such a crucial time, just before the World Cup finals, but after receiving passionate and encouraging words from Coach Moriyasu, I decided to accept the position.
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“I will strive to share the same aspirations as the Japanese national team players competing on the world stage and contribute to achieving the goals the team has set.”
Nakamura’s exact role on the staff is yet to be confirmed, but you have to assume that he wouldn’t be a bad set-piece coach.
Moriyasu’s men secured wins at both Hampden and Wembley in their last international break, further evidencing their rise as a national side.
They have never progressed beyond the round of 16 in the World Cup, though they have qualified from their group at three of the last four editions.
This year, the Samurai Blue will be competing in Group F with Tunisia, Sweden and The Netherlands, setting up a few Celtic matchups.
The likelihood is that Daizen Maeda will be the only Celtic player involved with Moriyasu’s squad, with Reo Hatate missing out.
Maeda can look forward to potentially facing both Sebastian Tounekti and Benjamin Nygren in Monterrey and Arlington respectively.
You can only keep one of Daizen Maeda or Reo Hatate at Celtic…
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Japan’s performance at the last World Cup
At the last instalment of the tournament, Japan stunned the world by finishing top of a group containing Spain and Germany in extremely dramatic fashion.
They stunned the Germans with a 2-1 win in the opening match of their group, in which Maeda started. However, they followed this up with a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica.
With the group wide open going into their final match, a rapid second-half turnaround saw them win 2-1 against the Spanish, a result which secured the progression of both sides.
Japan met Croatia in the round of 16, with Maeda scoring the opening goal. The game went to penalties, and the Hoops hero was ultimately eliminated by his close friend Josip Juranovic.
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