Japan's mind set will not change if Colombia is without star playmaker James Rodriguez for the team's World Cup opener, defender Yuto Nagatomo said Saturday, following reports that the 2014 Golden Boot winner's status is in doubt for the Group H clash in Saransk.
Multiple outlets have reported that 26-year-old Rodriguez, the man-of-the-match in Colombia's 4-1 rout of Japan at the 2014 World Cup, could miss Tuesday's match due to problems with his left calf.
Rodriguez, who is usually deployed by Colombia as a roaming attacker, trained separately from the squad Thursday and was absent from practice a day later.