Japan Olympic men's soccer team manager Hajime Moriyasu on Tuesday left former Barcelona youth team starlet Takefusa Kubo out of his squad for next month's AFC U-23 Championship in a bid to keep him fresh for next season.
Moriyasu, who was hired in October to lead Japan's quest for a medal on home soil at the 2020 Tokyo Games, chose a fully under-21 squad for the Jan. 9-27 Asian tournament in China, where Japan has been drawn in a first-round group with North Korea, Thailand and Palestine.
But there was no place for 16-year-old prodigy Kubo in Moriyasu's 23-man squad, with the manager deciding that he needs a rest after making his J. League first-division debut with FC Tokyo and also appearing at the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups with Japan this year.