Household names such as Yui Hasegawa of Manchester City, Hinata Miyazawa of Manchester United and Liverpool’s Fuka Nagano are all set to represent Nadeshiko Japan at the Paris Olympics, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ample opportunities for up-and-comers to make their mark.
Head coach Futoshi Ikeda also named major tournament debutants Toko Koga and Momoko Tanikawa, ages 18 and 19, respectively, to his squad for the Games, showing that youth is seemingly no barrier for those deemed good enough by Ikeda.
“Both Koga and Tanikawa have grown significantly at their clubs and have impressed at our recent overseas training camps.” Ikeda said at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday. “They both offer unique attributes and we expect them to contribute a lot to the team.”