Credit: Imago/Scotland National Team on X

James Barker

Sun 29 March 2026 9:10, UK

Ao Tanaka put in an impressive display for Japan on Saturday night, as the Leeds United midfielder was part of a 1-0 win over Scotland.

The 27-year-old was in from the start at Hampden, but was eventually substituted off after 78 minutes to be replaced by Crystal Palace midfielder Daichi Kamada.

Japan were able to dampen Scotland’s pre-World Cup joyfulness with a deserved 1-0 win in Glasgow, as their pressure eventually paid off as Genk’s Junya Ito scored with 84 minutes on the clock.

So it was a good night for Japan and Tanaka, who will now turn their attention to a big clash with England on Tuesday night.

After that, he will return to Elland Road ready to help play his part in Leeds’ fight to stay in the Premier League.

How did Ao Tanaka perform for Japan vs Scotland?

Tanaka’s Leeds opportunities have been limited this season, having only started seven times in the Premier League so far this term.

He played a huge role in the Whites’ promotion-winning campaign last season, and so heading into last summer, there were few expecting nor crying out for him to be replaced in the starting lineup with the top-flight in mind.

On the international stage, however, Tanaka is a regular in the Japan side, with the Scotland game being his 36th cap for his country.

Tanaka marked it with a performance to be proud of too, as the Leeds man was excellent in the heart of the Japanese midfield, pulling the strings and making life very difficult for his opposite numbers.

As per Sofascore, Tanaka completed 88 per cent of his passes accurately against Scotland, whilst also playing one key pass, completing his lone dribble attempt successfully and hitting the woodwork with his only shot of the game.

He also won his only tackle attempt, made seven recoveries, won all four of his ground duels and wasn’t dribbled past once all night.

Tanaka should be getting more Leeds chances than he currently is

It’s tough to fit players in when you’ve got an abundance of talented individuals in one position group, and that’s what Leeds have in central midfield.

Anton Stach, Ethan Ampadu, Sean Longstaff and Ilia Gruev all have strong and viable claims to a starting role in Daniel Farke’s team, and then there’s Tanaka too.

However, all the Japanese international has done since arriving at Elland Road is put in seven out of 10 performances at pretty much a minimum per game, and is clearly such a classy operator in the engine room.

If a player like Stach is a Rolls-Royce, then Tanaka is a midfield muscle car, boasting a relentless engine that never stops running, and is equipped to handle any terrain, any environment and any type of opposition he faces.

So, with Brenden Aaronson not at his best at the moment, if you’re Farke, why not push Stach into the number 10 role and have Ampadu playing alongside Tanaka as the two traditional central midfielders?