return to training was short–lived, as he suffered another injury once again. After suffering another injury in November, he made his first appearance in a year on 7 December 2016, in a 2–0 loss against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Europa League match. This turns out to be his only appearance, as he suffered injuries once more twice later in the season. After leaving Schalke 04, where Uchida made 153 appearances and scoring two times in all competitions, he was given a farewell send-off before a Schalke 04 match. Union Berlin On 21 August 2017, Uchida joined 2. Bundesliga side Union Berlin on a one-year contract. Schalke allowed him to leave on a free transfer and "accommodated him financially" following his seven-year stay at the club. Uchida made his Union Berlin debut on 10 September 2017 in a 3–2 loss against Fortuna Düsseldorf. Having been brought on as a substitute in the 75th minute he assisted for his club's temporary 2–1 lead three minutes later, an own goal by Kaan Ayhan. On 19 September, he made his first start in a 1–0 loss against SV Sandhausen. He played no further match before sustaining a thigh injury in mid-October. Having made just two appearances before the winter break, he left Union Berlin to return to his native Japan signing with former club Kashima Antlers. It came after when Uchida wanted to return to his homeland country. Return to Kashima Antlers On 2 January 2018, Uchida re-joined J1 team Kashima Antlers after playing seven and a half years in Germany. Uchida is scheduled to join his teammates in Kashima on 9 January 2018, shortly before the start of the 2018 J1 season. Uchida made his first Kashima Antlers’ appearance in eight years, starting a match and played 84 minutes, in a 0–0 draw against Shimizu S-Pulse in the opening game of the season. But he soon suffered a thigh injury that kept him out for a month. On 14 April 2018, Uchida made his return from injury, starting a match and played 77 minutes, in a 2–0 win against Nagoya Grampus. He appeared in the next four matches before being sidelined with another injury. On 11 July 2018, when Uchida made his return from injury, starting the whole game, in a 4–1 win against Machida Zelvia. However, he found himself in and out of the starting line-up, due to being on