Coach Kim Sang-sik: 'We need to check Thanh Trung more carefully'

Coach Kim Sang-sik said that this gathering of U23 Vietnam will be an opportunity for him and the coaching staff to more closely examine the ability of overseas Vietnamese Tran Thanh Trung.

Tran Thanh Trung will be tested more carefully when he joins the U23 Vietnam team. Photo: Ninh Binh FC .

“Previously, my team and I have studied many players playing abroad, including Tran Thanh Trung. During the next training session, we will examine Thanh Trung more closely,” coach Kim Sang-sik said about the new overseas Vietnamese player of U23 Vietnam at the signing ceremony and announcement of the main partner LPBank of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers, Group C on the afternoon of August 26 in Hanoi.

Tran Thanh Trung is a Vietnamese-Bulgarian player. The player born in 2005 used to play for Slavia Sofia before returning to Vietnam and joining Ninh Binh at the beginning of the 2025/26 season. He is considered one of the most talented Vietnamese-Americans at present.

Continuing to talk about the preparation of U23 Vietnam, the Korean strategist said: “During the past process, the coaching board and I checked the health status of the players and announced the list of players yesterday. Before that, we participated in the U23 Southeast Asia tournament, in that tournament the opponents were all strong but we overcame and succeeded.”

He believes that the success in U23 Southeast Asia is the motivation for the players to have more confidence and desire. At the same time, having more units is not only a practical source of support for the organization, but also adds spiritual strength as well as helps U23 Vietnam have more favorable conditions on the journey to conquer the goal in the continental arena.

Coach Kim Sang-sik (far right) takes a photo with delegates at the signing ceremony and announcement of the main companion unit of the 2026 AFC U23 Championship Qualifiers, Group C.

The 2026 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers will feature 44 teams, divided into 11 groups and competing in a round-robin format. The 11 group winners and the four best runners-up will advance to the finals in Saudi Arabia in early 2026.

According to the draw results, U23 Vietnam is in Group C with Yemen, Singapore and Bangladesh. The matches of Group C will take place at Viet Tri Stadium ( Phu Tho ) from September 3 to September 9, 2025. To prepare for the race in this group, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will gather again on August 29, 2025.

Source: https://znews.vn/hlv-kim-sang-sik-chung-toi-can-kiem-tra-thanh-trung-ky-hon-post1580196.html