Mana Iwabuchi: Aston Villa sign Japan captain from INAC Kobe Leonessa

Mana Iwabuchi hopes to play for Japan at their home Olympics next summer

Aston Villa have signed Japan captain Mana Iwabuchi, who will join the Women's Super League club in January.

The 27-year-old forward has 72 international caps and was part of the Japan side that won the 2011 World Cup.

Iwabuchi will join from Japanese club INAC Kobe Leonessa and has previously been at Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich.

"Not only will she bring a wealth of experience, but she will also add a different dimension to our attacking play," said Villa boss Gemma Davies.

Villa are second-bottom of the WSL after seeing their game on Sunday postponed after "a small number" of positive Covid-19 cases at the training ground of opponents West Ham.

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