Mitoma starts road to recovery as his ex-coach asks,

Brighton and Hove Albion FC Football Sport

Kaoru Mitoma has undergone successful surgery on the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the World Cup.

But the bitter disappointment over his heart-breaking setback continues to be felt in Japan.

Albion confirmed their star winger had taken the first step towards recovery with an update late on Monday.

He missed the final two games of the Premier League season after pulling up dramatically while in full flight during the win over Wolves.

Head coach Fabian Hurzeler said: “The good news is that the procedure was successful and Kaoru has now begun the early stages of his rehabilitation programme.

“While we appreciate the timing of the injury is bad, Kaoru remains in good spirits and his focus now is on his rehabilitation, working with the club’s medical team and returning to action next season.”

Mitoma’s former university coach Masaaki Koido was among those who could barely comprehend the setback suffered by the winger.

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Koido, who is in charge of football at Tsukuba, said: “It makes you wonder why God would do this.

“It doesn’t seem like there had been any warning signs of muscle tightness beforehand.

“But he’s the one who feels the frustration the most.”

Koido and Mitoma have been in contact via Japanese messaging app LINE since the injury.

The winger has assured his former coach that he will come back stronger.