Leeds United man rested on international duty in welcome fitness boost to Daniel Farke
Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka was an unused substitute in Japan's 4-0 win over Indonesia in FIFA World Cup qualifying on Friday.
The 26-year-old has been a revelation for Leeds since arriving onto the Elland Road scene this past summer. In the absence of Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev, Tanaka has proved a steady hand in the middle of the park, scooping Leeds' in-house Player of the Month award for his performances throughout October.
Tanaka was also named among the four nominees for October's Championship Player of the Month prize but lost out to Norwich City's Borja Sainz.
Despite making an impact in English football's second tier, Tanaka has remained behind the likes of Liverpool's Wataru Endo and Sporting Clube de Portugal's Hidemasa Morita at international level.
From Leeds' perspective, Tanaka featuring only as an unused substitute against Indonesia is positive news on the injury front. Ampadu and Gruev are not scheduled to be back from injury until the New Year and while midfield concerns have been allayed somewhat by the free agent arrival of Josuha Guilavogui last month, Tanaka's importance has become evident through his performances.
Japan's current world ranking of 15th is the highest the nation has been since July 2011. Their next fixture takes place on Tuesday, November 19 against China, in which they are expected to move yet another step closer to booking their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.