Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino has withdrawn from Japan's squad due to an arrangement over agreed playing time.
The Japan FA announced on Saturday that Minamino was leaving the national team due to "club circumstances" and wouldn't feature in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Kyrgyzstan.
That prompted speculation the 26-year-old was returning to England to sort out a possible transfer from Liverpool, with Southampton pondering whether to make a permanent offer for a player they took on loan for the second half of the recent season.
However, Minamino's withdrawal is not connected to his Liverpool future and rather the amount of minutes he has featured for his country in the last three weeks.
Since linking up with Japan last month, the Reds man has featured in wins over Myanmar, Tajikistan and Serbia.
And with Japan having already qualified as group winners for the next stage of World Cup qualifying in Asia, Minamino was deemed not required for Tuesday's match.
Minamino has started only 13 games for Liverpool since arriving from RB Salzburg for £7.25million 18 months ago.
Southampton are among a number of clubs, including several from the Bundesliga, interested in potentially signing the Reds man.
But the ECHO understands Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp wants to assess the player during pre-season before any decision is made over his future.
