LUBIN, Poland. Nov 24 — Polish Ekstraklasa outfit Zaglebie Lubin have handed down Japan goalkeeper Akihiro Hayashi a one week trial - informed the club on Tuesday. The player started training under Lubin and Poland's national team coach Franciszek Smuda on Monday.

Hayashi represented the Japan U-23s when he was just 20. He played in the successful side that qualified for the Beijing Olympics 2008 and he also represented Japan in the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2007 in Canada.

The 22-year-old's last club was Coca-Cola Football League Championship side Plymouth Argyle FC, where he signed on September 7, 2009. Unfortunately for him, visa problems meant that he could not officially appear for the team in a league fixture.

"I could only train, and I was not satisfied with only that," says the player who was previously coached by Romanian team FC Astra Ploiesti. 

"After much thought, I decided I did not want to play in my home country anymore, but I wanted to try my luck in Europe. Why Poland? why not. At Zaglebie I will stay a week, maybe two. So far it is hard to judge after only the first training session."

If 'Aki' impresses the Zaglebie coaching staff and ultimately signs a contract with Lubin, he would be the first player from Japan at the club, but not for the Polish Ekstraklasa.

Two previous Japanese players had already plyed their trade in Poland before, with striker Kimitoshi Nougawa trying his luck with Gornik Zabrze in 2004, and midfielder Go Nagaoka currently playing under Przebój Wolbrom in the Polska II Liga (Third Division).