Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni has called up four new strikers from to boost the Blue Samurai’s firepower when they host Ghana in a friendly on 10 September.
The quartet are from a second-string team that won the East Asian Cup earlier in July.
One of the four strikers is Cerezo Osaka’s Yoichiro Kakitani, 23, who made his senior international debut at the East Asian Cup in South Korea, where he won the golden boot with three goals as Japan roared on with two wins and one draw.
The others, all also aged 23, are Manabu Saito (Yokohama Marinos), Masato Kudo (Kashiwa Reysol) and Yuya Osako (Kashima Antlers).
They scored a total of four goals at the regional tournament.
The J-League foursome will join Manchester United attacking midfielder Shinji Kagawa and CSKA Moscow playmaker Keisuke Honda in a 23-man squad including 11 Europe-based players for the home friendlies.
Zaccheroni has kept faith with his first-choice centre backs, Maya Yoshida of Southampton and Yasuyuki Konno of Gamba Osaka.
Inter-Milan’s Yuto Nagatomo and Atsuto Uchida of Schalke were called up as full backs as usual.
Squad :
Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege/BEL), Shusaku Nishikawa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo)
Defenders: Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan/ITA), Masato Morishige (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke/GER), Maya Yoshida (Southampton/ENG), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover/GER), Gotoku Sakai (Stuttgart/GER)
Midfielders: Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg/GER), Toshihiro Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow/RUS), Hiroshi Kiyotake (Nuremberg/GER), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka)
Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Mainz/GER), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United/ENG), Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka), Manabu Saito (Yokohama Marinos), Masato Kudo (Kashiwa Reysol), Yuya Osako (Kashima Antlers)
