Cerezo Osaka have announced the return of midfielder Rei Yonezawa from his loan to Renofa Yamaguchi.

The 21-year-old had been assigned to the MEII YASUDA J2 League side since January, making 16 appearances including nine starts.

“There’s not much time left in the season, but I want to play with all of my strength. Thank you for your support,” Yonezawa said.

Surprise packages Cerezo started the season as title contenders but have since slipped down to fourth in the rankings, seven points behind leaders Kashima Antlers.