Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono on Sunday arrived in Frankfurt to join Japan's training camp for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Iran.
Ono, who underwent surgery on his left ankle in December, brushed aside fitness concerns after his Dutch club earlier refused to release him for Friday's clash in Tehran as well as Japan's home game against Bahrain five days later.
"It's been a while so I'll try my best to make an impact," said Ono, who missed Japan's 2-1 win over North Korea in their opening match of Asian zone final-round qualifiers in Saitama on Feb. 9.
Last week, Japan coach Zico named Ono among six European-based players to the squad for the Group B qualifiers. But Feyenoord told the Japan Football Association that it was not willing to release the player for either of the crunch Group B matches, saying he is "still in a recovery period after undergoing surgery on his ankle."
Feyenoord later relented and said it will have Ono undergo medical tests on his ankle before deciding anything.