After their impressive triumph at the 2018 AFF Cup, Vietnam turn their attention towards the upcoming AFC Asian Cup next month.
Unfortunately, Coach Park Hang-Seo will not have a full complement of players available to him for the upcoming tournament. Star defender Tran Dinh Trong has withdrawn from the squad through injury, and will be missed after a string of excellent performances at the regional tournament.
More surprisingly, Vietnam’s top scorer from the AFF Cup, Nguyen Anh Duc, will not be travelling to the United Arab Emirates for the upcoming tournament. Coach Park cited fatigue as a reason for the striker’s absence, given that the ageing played in both the AFF Cup and Asian Games back in August and September.
21-year-old striker Ha Duc Chinh could be expected to come into his place as the side’s main attacker, or support striker Nguyen Cong Phuong may move to become the main focal point of the side’s attack.
A more surprising omission is that of Nguyen Van Quyet. The 27-year-old has looked out of sorts recently, and failed to make a meaningful impact at the recent AFF Cup.
In their place, seven new players have been drafted in, all of whom are yet to make an appearance for the senior national team.
Adapted from Tran Tien, Football Tribe Vietnam