Wataru Endo is fighting a losing battle for game time at Liverpool, with the problem now extending to his duties as captain of the Japan national team too.Endo was used regularly last season as Arne Slot‘s ‘closer’, making 32 appearances for Liverpool though only clocking 865 minutes on the pitch.This time around his role is considerably smaller, with the midfielder featuring in only seven of a possible 18 games so far for a total of 235 minutes – playing 36 minutes over four Premier League outings.Even when the 32-year-old wasn’t involved, Slot highlighted his use with the Japan national team as a positive in terms of keeping him sharp.But that has now changed, with Endo going unused Friday’s 2-0 friendly victory over Ghana.Why Japan’s captain is out of the starting XIEndo was named on the bench but spent the entire game as a spectator, as goals from Takumi Minamino and Ritsu Doan secured a useful win for a nation already qualified for the 2026 World Cup.According to reports in Japan this comes with Hajime Moriyasu simply preferring Mainz midfielder Kaishu Sano, who assisted Minamino’s opener.Sano, 24, created the joint-most chances (three), played the second-most passes into the final third (10) and made the most defensive contributions (11) of any player, including a game-high five tackles and six interceptions according to FotMob.His rise to the fore comes with Endo not involved in any of the last four games for Japan – including the two he missed due to a hamstring issue last month.Japan’s only constant in Moriyasu’s two-man midfield during that run has been Sano, who was brought into starting contention in June.Liverpool’s new issue with EndoEndo, with 71, is behind only Minamino (72) when it comes to the most-capped players in the current Japan squad, but he is seemingly no longer viewed as a guaranteed starter.This is despite being established as captain of his country, and rarely letting his manager down whenever called upon for either Japan or Liverpool.If he has dropped down the pecking order under Moriyasu that could have a knock-on effect for Slot, who has relied upon Endo maintaining his rhythm during international breaks to ensure he can use him for Liverpool.The wider issue may be that, if Endo is no longer considered a starter for Japan due to a lack of game time for his club, the chances are he could push for a move in the near future.