Manchester City has signed defender Ko Itakura and immediately sent him on loan to Dutch team FC Groningen, it was announced on Monday.
The 21-year-old spent the past J. League season playing for Vegalta Sendai on loan from Kawasaki Frontale.
He will remain on loan in the Netherlands until the summer of 2020, joining Ritsu Doan at struggling Groningen, which is 15th in the table with four wins, three draws and 10 losses.
"I'm going to put myself in a high-growth environment and push myself forward," Itakura said in a statement.
