Ryo Miyaichi says representing Arsenal in Japan would be "a great moment" in his career.
The 20-year-old grew up in Nagoya and hopes to be part of the squad that travels there for Arsenal's pre-season friendly against Arsène Wenger's former club, Nagoya Grampus, on July 22.
A second match in Japan, against Urawa Reds on July 26, was confirmed on Thursday. Ryo is currently recovering from ankle surgery and he has two short-term targets: to get fit and earn his place on this summer's Asia tour.
"I hope I can play in Japan as an Arsenal player," Ryo told Arsenal.com. "It would be a great moment for me.
"Arsenal have a huge [number of] fans in Japan - like in China and Malaysia as well. It will be a good time for the whole team. I spoke with my family and my friends and they are happy to see Arsenal in Japan. They want to see me on the pitch of course!
"To be honest, there would be pressure and I have to play well and show my quality to the Japanese people. I'm a little bit nervous but I'm looking forward to visiting Japan if I am selected."
Ryo was just two years old when Wenger guided Nagoya Grampus to the Emperor's Cup in 1995 but he is well aware of the respect the Arsenal manager commands in Japan.
"The Japanese fans will be very happy to see him [Arsène Wenger] again"
Ryo Miyaichi
"He has done a lot of things for Japan and for Nagoya," said Ryo. "They will be very happy to see him again.
"The Japanese fans watch the Premier League a lot and the boss used to work in Nagoya. Nagoya is my city as well so it would be fantastic for me and the team to be there.
"Nagoya are a very good team," he added. "I think they won the league three years ago. It's a very technical team and a very good team.
"Urawa are also a very good team and have a very good stadium. They get a big crowd so I think it will be a tough game."
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