Wataru Endo is heading back to Liverpool earlier than expected after Japan surprisingly crashed out of the Asia Cup in dramatic fashion.
Endo was skipper of the Japanese team that were beaten 2-1 by Iran in the quarter-finals of the competition in Qatar on Saturday, with the winning goal coming from a penalty in the sixth minute of injury time.
Japan had been among the favourites to win the tournament but struggled to live up to the tag, and had lost to Iraq during the group stage.
Endo will now return to Merseyside a week earlier than he would have preferred with the Asia Cup final taking place next weekend. However, it means the 30-year-old will now be available for the Premier League visit of Burnley next Saturday.
The midfielder had been in excellent form before leaving for the tournament, starting eight successive games at number six in the absence of the injured Alexis Mac Allister.
While in Qatar, Endo has missed six Liverpool games with Mac Allister having returned to fitness as his replacement and expected to line up at Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.
Liverpool also lost Mohamed Salah to international duty last month, although his Egypt were knocked out early from the Africa Cup of Nations with the forward in any case now sidelined with a hamstring injury suffered during the tournament.
