A squad of European-class overseas Vietnamese players will help U.23 Vietnam become more competitive.

The overseas Vietnamese force is still like a 'treasure chest' waiting to be opened by coach Kim Sang-sik in U.23 Vietnam.

'Rough gem' forgotten in U.23 Vietnam

The race for a starting position in the U.23 Vietnam team is getting more and more exciting, as the time until the SEA Games is counted down to only 1 month.

In the hands of coach Kim Sang-sik, the force is gradually taking shape, with elite faces called up to the Vietnam national team in October. They are goalkeeper Trung Kien, central defenders Hieu Minh and Nhat Minh, defender Phi Hoang, midfielder Xuan Bac, and strikers Dinh Bac and Thanh Nhan.

However, for Mr. Kim, the concept of keeping a fixed squad does not exist. The Korean coach has a habit of rotating and constantly changing the squad to maintain competitiveness. The door is still wide open for other players. Among them, there are overseas Vietnamese players.

Le Viktor in the U.23 Vietnam shirt

PHOTO: MINH TU

Vietnam U.23 has opened its doors to many overseas Vietnamese players over the past year, such as Le Viktor, Bui Alex, Vadim Nguyen and Tran Thanh Trung. The most prominent is Thanh Trung (20 years old), who played 62 matches for Slavia Sofia, the team playing in the highest league in Bulgaria. Thanh Trung played for Bulgaria U.17 in 2021 - 2022, then was promoted to Bulgaria U.19 in 2022, when he was not yet 17 years old. In early 2023, at the age of 18, Thanh Trung played for Bulgaria U.21. He was the best young player in the rose country's tournament, before returning home to play for Ninh Binh .

Le Viktor also has an impressive past, having been selected to the Torpedo Moscow youth training center and then the CSKA Moscow Football Academy in Russia. Le Viktor returned to play in the V-League in 2023, and it is only now that the midfielder born in 2003 has gradually shown his role.

Of the four overseas Vietnamese players, only Le Viktor has ever played for the U.23 Vietnam team. However, the Russian-born midfielder's journey has not been smooth. He was "spotted" by acting head coach Dinh Hong Vinh during the training trip to China in March, but it wasn't until September, when the U.23 Vietnam team played the Asian qualifiers, that Le Viktor was able to convince Mr. Kim to give him a starting position, after many matches on the bench.

Thanh Trung (middle) in the U.23 Vietnam shirt

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

With 2 years of playing in Vietnam, Le Viktor is still struggling to adapt to the U.23 team, so it is difficult to expect new overseas Vietnamese like Bui Alex (never played in Vietnam) or Thanh Trung (just returned to V-League for 4 months) to immediately win an official position.

However, that does not mean that Coach Kim Sang-sik has forgotten the overseas Vietnamese resource. He once affirmed that he "grasped Thanh Trung's ability after watching the video " and "clearly understood the student's potential to wear the national team's jersey at all levels".

Similar to Le Viktor, Coach Kim appreciates Thanh Trung's potential. However, young talents are like "rough gems", needing time, challenges and perseverance to be polished into "precious gems". The Korean strategist still gives his students space to shine. The problem is, the players must work hard enough at the club to be given the opportunity.

Breakthrough

After 4 months playing for Ninh Binh, Thanh Trung has gradually overcome fatigue and initial difficulties to adapt to the V-League.

The midfielder born in 2005 had his first start in the previous round, when Ninh Binh won PVF-CAND with a score of 3-1. During the 60 minutes he played, Thanh Trung played steadily, energetically, and diligently carried the ball in the midfield to help Ninh Binh defeat the young PVF-CAND team.

Thanh Trung (right) and Thai Son (left) are both potential young midfielders.

PHOTO: NINH BINH CLUB

His football mindset, technique and ability to compete extremely hard despite his limited physique... are helping Thanh Trung become a shuttle in Ninh Binh's star-studded midfield.

Having won the trust of coach Gerald Albadalejo, Thanh Trung has the opportunity to play regularly, thereby scoring points with coach Kim Sang-sik. However, U.23 Vietnam is also in need of an energetic and comprehensive midfielder like Thanh Trung. Midfielders like Xuan Bac, Thai Son, Van Truong, Cong Phuong... all have potential, but Thanh Trung can still compete thanks to the solid foundation built while in Europe.

Le Viktor is also capable of starting, if he handles things calmly and finishes better as coach Kim Sang-sik advised. As for Vadim Nguyen and Bui Alex, both must try much harder.

Overall, the overseas Vietnamese gems still have room to grow. By tapping into the potential of this group of players, Mr. Kim's U.23 Vietnam will become even stronger.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dan-viet-kieu-dang-cap-chau-au-se-giup-u23-viet-nam-canh-tranh-hon-185251031142715004.htm