What are the chances of Hai Long joining MU?

Nguyen Hai Long was a standout performer in the first half of the ASEAN All Stars match against Manchester United on May 28th. However, does the Vietnamese player have a chance to join the "Red Devils"?

Hai Long made a strong impression against MU. Photo: Thuan Thang .

Speaking at the post-match press conference, coach Kim Sang-sik said he hoped coach Amorim would take notice of Hai Long. This might have been just a polite remark, but it also hinted at the Vietnamese national team coach's hope for his player to have the opportunity to play abroad.

However, in order to sign a contract with Manchester United, even if it's just a commercial deal, the Hanoi FC star still has to meet many strict criteria.

Work permit in the UK

According to the English Football Association (FA) regulations, non-EU players like Hai Long must meet strict criteria to be granted a work permit.

This includes playing in at least 75% of the international matches of a national team whose average ranking is no higher than 70th in the FIFA rankings over the past two years.

This presents a significant challenge, as the Vietnamese national team was only ranked 109th in the world according to the FIFA rankings in April. The best position the Vietnamese team has ever achieved in the FIFA rankings is 84th. Therefore, Hai Long cannot meet this criterion.

Therefore, if Hai Long wants to apply for a work permit in England, Manchester United needs to prove that the player is an "exceptional talent" and can make a significant contribution to raising the level of the Premier League in order to be granted special consideration by the FA.

Despite only playing the full first half, Nguyen Hai Long was given a score of 7.5 (on a scale of 10) by ESPN. Photo: Tien Nguyen.

The FA determines this criterion through outstanding achievements, such as individual titles or significant contributions in international tournaments. Currently, with experience mainly in the V.League and a few international matches for the Vietnamese national team, it is difficult for Hai Long to meet this criterion.

Another possibility is that Manchester United could sign Hai Long and then loan him out to other teams in Portugal, Spain, Belgium, or France.

This is an approach adopted by many teams such as Brighton, Chelsea, and Manchester City. However, to impress MU's scouting team, Hai Long needs to maintain excellent form, consistency, and superiority in bigger competitions.

The V League rarely attracts the attention of top English football scouts. The best stepping stone for Hai Long would probably be a move to Japan or South Korea to play.

The two top national leagues of these two countries (J1 League and K1 League) have been a continuous springboard for exporting players to Europe over the past few years, attracting significant attention from top Premier League scouts. This would be a more viable stepping stone if Hai Long wanted to play for Manchester United.

ASEAN All Stars' goal sealed Manchester United's fate on the evening of May 28th. Adrian Segecic played a through pass to Maung Maung Lwin, who broke free and finished past Tom Heaton, giving ASEAN All Stars a narrow 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

Source: https://znews.vn/co-hoi-nao-de-hai-long-gia-nhap-mu-post1556662.html