Brutal Takumi Minamino injury news clouds Wataru Endo’s World Cup hopes

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Former Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino is now facing doubts over his involvement for Japan at the World Cup after a crushing injury blow to Wataru Endo‘s teammate. Minamino has been a key player for Monaco since his £15.5 million move from Liverpool in 2022, as well as a consistent starter for Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan.

The 30-year-old was stretchered off 36 minutes into Monaco’s 2-1 win over Auxerre in the Coupe de France and his club have now confirmed the extent of the damage. Takumi Minamino Injury Update • The diagnosis: Monaco have confirmed an ACL rupture for Takumi Minamino following his early withdrawal against Auxerre on Sunday. • Recovery period: The former Liverpool forward is expected to be sidelined for six to nine months, ending his domestic season. • World Cup threat: The timing poses a major threat to his involvement in the 2026 World Cup, which is a significant blow to Wataru Endo‘s Japan.

Minamino is now expected to miss six to nine months of action, which will rule him out of the rest of Monaco’s campaign and, if his recovery is at the longer end of the scale, also Japan’s involvement at the World Cup. It will be a major blow to Japan, with Minamino starting nine of their 14 qualifiers and scoring four goals along the way.