Leeds United: European move was worth the risk, reveals Ideguchi

Ideguchi made the permanent switch to Leeds in January from J League side Gamba Osaka but the Whites decided a loan to Spanish second division side Cultural Leonesa would be more beneficial for his development and chances of earning a spot in the Japanese squad ahead of the quadrennial tournament.

The 21-year-old though has found playing time hard to come by in Spain since making the move. Ideguchi was omitted from the last Japanese squad for their friendlies against Mali and Ukraine by former head coach Vahid Halilhodzic who cited his lack of game time as a key factor.

He has seen his hopes of inclusion in Russia boosted though after Japan made the shock decision to change coach just two months before the World Cup. New boss Akira Nishino has strong links to Ideguchi's former team Gamba Osaka who he managed from 2002 to 2011.

The midfielder has now admitted that even though it was always a big risk that he could miss out on featuring in Russia this summer it was one that was worth taking given the possibility of a career within the European leagues.

"My goal is not just the World Cup, the most important thing is to play abroad until I retire," Ideguchi told Japanese magazine Weekly Playboy.

Asked why he made the decision to move in a World Cup year he replied: "I was asked this many times, but last year I fought with the world's top countries such as Brazil and Belgium, and I felt the difference between playing with adults and children.

"It was great that I thought that I could grow in the J League but when I returned, if I'm honest, play was odd, I couldn't feel like I could do my best in Japan after I had experienced that level.

"Honestly, when I first became a professional, even though I played in the J League, there were parts of me that felt good with playing in Japan for a long time, but after I came back [from international duty] I didn't feel like that.

"That's when I knew I had to go abroad."

Ideguchi appeared 30 times for Gamba Osaka scoring four goals before sealing a move to Leeds but has found himself out in the cold since joining Leonesa. The Japanese star has made just one start and four substitute appearances in his 111 minutes of action and hasn't featured at all since February.

"There are a lot of players who can only speak Spanish, there are times that I feel there is a wall of words and it is stressful," Ideguchi said of his time in Spain.

"However, it is important to show your play in training and I do not feel like I am losing out to the players in the same position, so I just have to prepare to be 100% for whenever I am next used. I plan to play without fear."