Cerezo Osaka announced today that Kenta Mukuhara would join J1 side Sanfrecce Hiroshima on loan.

Mukuhara won’t be allowed to play against Cerezo during his loan spell. His loan contract starts on August 16 and lasts until January 31, 2018.

He first joined Cerezo Osaka on a loan deal from FC Tokyo in 2013. Although he then earned only a few appearances, in 2015 he re-joined the team, this time on a permanent deal. Since then, he has spent more than 2 years at Cerezo but played just 17 league games for the first team. This year, he has mainly played for Cerezo Osaka U-23 as an overage player and there he played a good role, making 4 assists in 9 appearances.

Although Mukuhara leaves Cerezo on loan, he is highly unlikely to come back again as he commented on the official website as follows: “My time at Cerezo Osaka became very special to me, now I like Cerezo Osaka and the city of Osaka very much. I am grateful to supporters who have supported me in both good and bad times. I hope you continue supporting Cerezo Osaka, the team I love, from now on too. Thank you very much.”

Wish you good luck, Mukuhara!