TORONTO, ⁠June 11 (Reuters) - Japan captain Wataru Endo has ⁠withdrawn from the World Cup squad due ‌to injury in a blow for the Samurai Blue, with the midfielder also announcing his retirement from international ​football.

Endo, who endured an injury-hit ⁠season with Liverpool, has ⁠been replaced by Borussia Moenchengladbach striker Shuto Machino, ⁠the ‌Japan Football Association said in a statement.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

(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya, editing by Ed Osmond)