MAYA Yoshida admits he knew the risk he was running by playing for Japan in the Asian Cup.

The defender left Saints to play for his national side at the beginning of January, following the goalless draw with Chelsea, which was a game he starred in.

That’s the only clean sheet Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team have kept since his appointment in December, but Yoshida didn’t expect to walk straight back into the starting XI on his return.

Yoshida said: “I knew that if I left to play for the national team for one month, I would lose my position.

“The whole national team squad took that risk to play for their country, but that’s finished. I came back, and this can happen.

“As always, I give 100 per cent effort while waiting for my chance and, when it comes, I’ll take it.

“It’s the manager’s decision. The only thing I can do is impress him in training.”

Having been at Saints through a number of highs and lows, Yoshida is well placed to assess the current predicament the club find themselves in at the moment.

With it looking like it’s going to be a direct relegation battle between the St Mary’s outfit and Cardiff, the Japanese international believes now is the time to show some courage.

Yoshida added: “I think we are losing confidence a lot, but this doesn’t matter. We have to show our character now. It’s all about ourselves, no one can help us.

“Only we, ourselves, can change our lives and if we make mistakes, then we have to take responsibility.

“If we get good results, then we can celebrate together. We win together, and we lose together.”

Despite being at the Asian Cup with Japan, where they lost to Qatar in the final, Yoshida kept a close eye on what was happening with Saints.

During his time away, Hasenhuttl’s side had a mixture of positive and negative results.

Wins over Leicester and Everton looked to put them on the path to Premier League safety but dropping points to Burnley and losing to Cardiff put them in the thick of another dogfight.

And Yoshida, who was an unused substitute against Cardiff, admitted his sadness over the current situation.

“It’s a real pity, to be honest,” he continued.

“We had a great game against Chelsea, but importantly, we have to win against the teams close to us like Fulham.

“We lost points against Burnley and Cardiff already which is why we are struggling. The next game is really important for us.”