Fifteen-year-old playmaker Takefusa Kubo is in line to make his debut with FC Tokyo's first team, a a team source said Saturday.
Kubo returned to Japan in 2015 after four years with Barcelona — when the Catalan club was penalized by soccer's world governing body FIFA for violating international transfer regulations — but has already been fast-tracked to the U-23 side at Tokyo. He also became the youngest player to score in a J3 match against Cerezo Osaka's U-23s on April 15.
Kubo is expected to make his debut in Tokyo's YBC Levain Cup group stage game against Consadole Sapporo at home on May 3.
"There is every chance that he (Kubo) would cut it in the top team," a senior Tokyo official said. "I thought it would be a good idea to test him."
If Kubo were to score for Tokyo in J1 in May he would surpass Kawasaki Frontale striker Takayuki Morimoto as the youngest player to achieve the feat. Morimoto holds the record having scored at 15 years, 11 months and 28 days when he was with Tokyo Verdy in 2004.