Takumi Minamino will be part of Japan¡¯s World Cup ?campaign despite still recovering from injury, with the forward taking on a ?mentorship role ?and looking to ¡°give maximum support¡± to the squad.

The Japanese ?international ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament?in his left knee while playing for AS Monaco in December, an injury that typically sidelines players for six to ?nine months, ending his hopes of featuring at the World Cup.

The 31-year-old¡¯s injury is a big ?blow for Japan. The former Liverpool player has made 73 appearances and scored 26 goals for Samurai Blue.

Minamino was a key ?figure in Japan¡¯s qualification campaign, ?but will now contribute off the pitch, having been drafted into the World Cup setup to provide support based ?on his own experience.

¡°Before ?anything, I¡¯m happy I could join this group,¡± Minamino ?was quoted as saying by Kyodo News on Wednesday. ¡°Lots of ?people ?helped me get here, and I¡¯m hoping to give my maximum support to the team by offering my personal experience and coming up with my own approach.

¡°As expected, the first few weeks were tough. Injuries are part ?and parcel of being an athlete, but the timing of it and, of course, there was that emotion I had for this World Cup,¡± Minamino said.

Minamino¡¯s role reflects a trend among teams to value off-field influence as much as on-field impact. ?

Australia ?took a similar approach during its 2022 World Cup campaign ?in Qatar, appointing forward Martin Boyle as an ¡°official vibes manager.¡°?

Japan will also ?lean on former captain Maya Yoshida, who has been included in this year¡¯s World Cup setup as a support player.

Japan heads to its eighth successive World Cup, buoyed by a string of high-profile victories and ?with coach Hajime Moriyasu bullish about its chances of reaching the tournament¡¯s latter stages.

Japan has?been drawn in Group F alongside the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia and opens its campaign against the Dutch on June 14.