TORONTO—Japan captain Wataru Endo has withdrawn from the World Cup squad ‌due to injury in ⁠a blow ⁠for the Samurai Blue, with the midfielder ⁠also announcing his retirement from international football.

Endo, who endured an injury-hit ‌season with ⁠Liverpool, has been replaced ​by Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Shuto Machino, the Japan Football Association said in a statement.

“Since my injury, I’ve done everything I possibly could up to this point, so I have no regrets whatsoever,” Endo said ⁠in ​a ​social media post.

The ‌33-year-old said he was frustrated at ‌not being able to participate in the ​showpiece event but took pride in the team’s growth since ⁠the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“With this campaign, ⁠I will be retiring from the national team. So from here on, I’ll be cheering for the Japan national team as one of the fans,” he said.

Japan are in Group F and kick off their ⁠eighth appearance ​at the World Cup finals against the Netherlands in Dallas ‌on June 14 before ​taking on ​Tunisia and Sweden.