Yosuke Ideguchi has been linked with a Leeds United exit this summer and a return to Japanese side Gamba Osaka, and his recent Instagram post has hinted that a move could be in the offing.
Yahoo Japan have claimed last month that the 22-year-old could be about to return to the J-League side, after another disappointing campaign in European football – this time with German outfit Greuther Furth.
Ideguchi joined Leeds in January 2018, and immediately joined Spanish second-tier side Cultural Leonesa on loan with a view of breaking into the Japan national team for the World Cup in Russia.
Getting over that disappointment, Ideguchi looked to get his career back on track in Germany but a long-term knee injury limited him to just eight matches – though there were signs of improvement.
Now, a return to Japan could be on the cards and his latest Instagram post shows he has been training in his home country alongside Shinji Kagawa – rather than returning to Thorp Arch, suggesting he has been told not to return.
TBR’s view – Ideguchi and Leeds simply did not mix
Ideguchi has talent, there is no doubt about that. But if the pocket-sized midfielder was to ever break into Marcelo Bielsa’s side, he needed to go out on loan and impress.
At Cultural Leonesa, for whatever reason, it simply did not work and he managed just five games. Last season, he was very unlucky. Whether he deserves pre-season to show what he is capable of, is another question.
But all the signs suggest that Leeds may have just admitted their mistake and are looking to offer him an escape route. Linked with his former side and training in Japan instead of with Leeds, Ideguchi looks set to leave.
