Japan international Yui Hasegawa has joined Manchester City from West Ham United on a three-year contract, the club announced on Thursday, ahead of the start of the new Women’s Super League season in England. Hasegawa joins City after spending a year at West Ham. She has played 58 times for Japan since her debut in 2017, having represented her country at the World Cup, Asian Cup and Olympics.
The 25-year-old is the first Japanese player to play for Gareth Taylor’s side. Arsenal’s Mana Iwabuchi is the only other Japanese player in the Women’s Super League. “It was a big dream for me to come to Manchester City to play football, so I’m very happy to be here,” she told the club’s website.
“People see me as an attacking player, but I also want to be known for my defense and my unpredictability. I may be small, but I’m strong, and I want to show it.” City suffered a huge late-season upheaval, losing several top players including retired Ellen White, while Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway, Caroline Weir and Keira Walsh all left.
The team, who finished third last season, start their new campaign with a home game against Arsenal on Sunday.
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