Cong Phuong unlikely to return to Vietnam national team

Coach Kim Sang-sik has little professional basis to call Cong Phuong back to the Vietnam national team, even though the former HAGL striker is in good form at Binh Phuoc.

Cong Phuong shines in the First Division.

In the most recent round of the First Division, Cong Phuong just shone with a "double" of free kicks, helping Binh Phuoc win 2-1 against Hoa Binh. The result brought Binh Phuoc to 2nd place on the rankings with 33 points after 14 matches, opening the door wide for promotion to the V-League.

With 6 goals after 8 matches, Cong Phuong is the key factor contributing to the above results. His fans are therefore waiting for Cong Phuong to be noticed by coach Kim Sang-sik in the upcoming training session of the Vietnam team to prepare for the confrontation with Malaysia in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers.

However, there are many reasons to believe that this will not be an easy choice for the Korean coach. Firstly, the quality of the First Division is difficult to compare with the V-League, so in the same position, coach Kim Sang-sik will prioritize choosing outstanding factors in the National Championship. Secondly, in Mr. Kim Sang-sik's hands, there are still many quality options, from Van Toan to Tuan Hai or Tien Linh if he recovers from injury.

Another problem is that the Vietnamese team is currently undergoing a strong change of squad, and coach Kim Sang-sik tends to give opportunities to many new faces such as Vi Hao, Dinh Thanh Binh... Meanwhile, Cong Phuong has not been in the Vietnamese team for a long time, and is also starting to enter the twilight of his career.

Up to now, most of the players in the 2018 Changzhou team are no longer regular starters in the Vietnam national team, or play less important roles. Even Quang Hai has gradually gotten used to sitting on the bench.

Cong Phuong's return may make his fans happy, but in terms of expertise, coach Kim Sang-sik will certainly have to "lift up and put down" when making a decision.

Source: https://znews.vn/cong-phuong-kho-tro-lai-tuyen-viet-nam-post1548240.html