Nguyen Hoang Duc will not be able to attend the 2023 Asian Cup.

Midfielder Nguyen Hoang Duc suffered a more serious injury than expected and will almost certainly not be able to join the Vietnamese team at the 2023 Asian Cup.

Hoang Duc was named by coach Philippe Troussier in the list of 26 Vietnamese players, sent to the Asian Football Confederation AFC on January 2. According to the calculations of the coaching staff, the midfielder born in 1998 needs to rest for about 10 days and can return to play from the second match of the group stage against Indonesia on January 19.

However, the test results this morning showed that the recovery process was not as expected, forcing Hoang Duc to rest longer. Coach Troussier therefore decided to remove Hoang Duc before the team leaves for Qatar for training tomorrow, January 5. This does not affect the number of players registered with the AFC. According to regulations, the official list of 26 players is finalized no later than six hours before each team's opening match.

Nguyen Hoang Duc (middle) plays in the match where Vietnam lost 1-3 to UAE in the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup. Photo: Hieu Luong — Nguyen Hoang Duc (middle) plays in the match where Vietnam lost 1-3 to UAE in the second qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup. Photo: *Hieu Luong*

Hoang Duc was injured in the match where The Cong lost 0-3 to Nam Dinh in round 8 of the V-League on December 27, 2023. On December 30, he went to the national team for examination and was diagnosed with a left ankle injury with swelling of the anterior tibial-talar ligament, posterior tibial-talar ligament and posterior talofibular ligament.

This injury caused Hoang Duc to miss the first Asian Cup of his career. The midfielder from Hai Duong joined the national team in 2019 under coach Park Hang-seo and became a mainstay in the midfield, playing 27 matches and scoring two goals.

Before Hoang Duc, Vietnam lost many players due to injury, including goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, defenders Que Ngoc Hai, Thanh Chung, Doan Van Hau, Bui Tien Dung, midfielders Duc Chien, Hoang Van Toan, Phan Van Duc, strikers Tien Linh and Thanh Nhan. The current team roster only has five players who played at the 2019 Asian Cup, including central defenders Do Duy Manh, Ho Tan Tai, midfielders Do Hung Dung, Quang Hai and striker Van Toan.

Hieu Luong

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