National team player Pham Ly Duc returns, HAGL ready to stop Nam Dinh's winning streak

Ly Duc and Doan Ngoc Tan in the Vietnamese national team jersey

Photo: VFF

HAGL is like a tiger with wings

After more than a month and a half of sitting out due to knee pain during the away match at the literally "dangerous" My Dinh stadium, young center back Pham Ly Duc of HAGL Club was confirmed to have fully recovered from his injury.

Previously, the player born in 2003 suffered a knee injury after landing on the bad My Dinh field in the quarter-finals of the 2024-2025 National Cup at the end of March, causing a strong reaction from the HAGL leadership and coaching staff.

In his first season with HAGL, Ly Duc immediately took the starting position, becoming a reliable partner alongside foreign center back Jairo. With a 1.82 m physique, he played prominently thanks to his strong fighting style, good aerial combat and good attack participation.

Ly Duc (right cover) played impressively in his first season with HAGL

Photo: Minh Tran

Therefore, the absence of the player who is in the "green eye" of coach Kim Sang-sik has significantly affected the solidity of HAGL's defense, forcing coach Le Quang Trai to patch things up by pulling Quang Nho to play center back.

HAGL confident before the challenge at Thien Truong

Information from HAGL said that Pham Ly Duc can practice normally, fully following the training plan of Coach Le Quang Trai. This means that he is ready to return to the field in the final stage of V-League, helping him regain his form to prepare for the Vietnam national team and U.23 Vietnam team gathering at the end of the month.

However, whether Ly Duc will start from the beginning or come on later depends entirely on the decision of the HAGL coaching board, in which the safety of the young player's legs will be considered the highest priority. It is clear that Ly Duc is considered an important player of the Vietnam U.23 team that is preparing to be directly led by coach Kim Sang-sik.

Ly Duc scored the opening goal for HAGL in the match against Binh Duong Club in V-League 2024 - 2025

Photo: Kha Hoa

Therefore, Ly Duc will most likely start from the bench, when HAGL's positions are in good form after the 2-1 victory over The Cong Viettel in round 22 to touch the relegation ticket. At this time, HAGL has 27 points - a milestone that will theoretically ensure the chance of relegation.

If they get at least 1 point, coach Le Quang Trai and his team will be considered to have officially successfully stayed in the league. Of course, this goal will not be easy to achieve when Nam Dinh Club is in very good form with 3 consecutive victories against strong opponents such as Binh Duong, Hanoi and Thanh Hoa.

HAGL is expected to play away at Thien Truong Stadium at 6:00 p.m. on May 18. The home team Nam Dinh is giving away tickets to fans as a token of gratitude, with the hope that Thien Truong Stadium will be the "hotbed" to witness the team from Thanh Nam successfully defend the V-League 2024 - 2025.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tuyen-thu-pham-ly-duc-tro-lai-hagl-san-sang-chan-da-thang-cua-nam-dinh-185250517165634284.htm