What are the chances for Hai Long to join MU?

Nguyen Hai Long was the bright spot in the first half of the match between the ASEAN All Stars team and Manchester United on May 28. However, will the Vietnamese player have a chance to join the "Red Devils"?

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

Sharing in the post-match press conference, coach Kim Sang-sik said that he hoped coach Amorim would keep an eye on Hai Long. That may just be a polite statement, but it also partly contains the hope of the Vietnam coach about the opportunity to send his students to compete abroad.

However, to be able to sign a contract with Manchester United, even if it is just a commercial deal, the star of Hanoi Club still has to meet many strict criteria.

Work permit in UK

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

This includes appearing in at least 75% of international matches for a national team with an average FIFA ranking of no more than 70 over the last two years.

This is a big challenge when on the FIFA rankings in April, the Vietnam team was only ranked 109th in the world . The best position of the Vietnam team in the history of the FIFA rankings was only 84. 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 this player is a "special talent" and can make a significant contribution to improving the Premier League to be granted special treatment by the FA.

Despite only playing the entire first half, Nguyen Hai Long was rated 7.5 points (out of 10) by ESPN. Photo: Tien Nguyen.

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

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

This is the method used by many teams such as Brighton, Chelsea or Manchester City. However, to attract the attention of MU's scouting team, Hai Long needs to maintain excellent performance, stability and excel in bigger arenas.

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

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

ASEAN All Stars' goal that finished off MU On the evening of May 28, Adrian Segecic passed the ball to Maung Maung Lwin who finished past Tom Heaton, helping ASEAN All Stars beat MU 1-0 at Bukit Jalil Stadium.

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