4 Vietnamese football talents born in the year of the Dog are expected to shine in the new year

1. Midfielder Nguyen Thai Sung (SHB.Da Nang):In 2009, Thai Sung was selected for “Football Dream 2009” and received a 3-year training scholarship at Aspire Academy (Qatar). At that time, he was considered a “prodigy” of Vietnamese football.

Thai Sung was once considered a "child prodigy" of Vietnamese football. Photo: IT

However, since returning to Vietnam in 2012, Thai Sung has not been able to prove his ability, often sitting on the bench at the Han River team and during the time SHB.Da Nang loaned him to Hanoi Club (later renamed Saigon FC) in the 2015 First Division and 2016 V.League.

In V.League 2018, hopefully Thai Sung can find his true form under coach Nguyen Minh Phuong.

With an ideal physique, central defender Duy Khanh once received a lot of trust from coach Toshiya Miura. Photo: IT

2. Center back Dao Duy Khanh (Hanoi FC): Under coach Toshiya Miura, central defender Duy Khanh, 1m80 tall, received a lot of trust from the Japanese coach, calling him up to the U23 team and the national team.

A special highlight was his impressive performance in the Vietnam Olympic team at the 2014 ASIAD.

However, injuries and knee surgery took away Khanh's chances at the 2014 AFF Cup and 2015 SEA Games.

At the 2016 U23 Asian Cup finals, Khanh was named in the U23 Vietnam squad that went to Qatar to compete with Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong, Duy Manh... but did not prove much.

In 2018, Duy Khanh hopes to return to play for Hanoi FC in the V.League, before thinking about the hope of being called up by coach Park Hang-seo to join the national team.

Striker Phuc Tinh has yet to show much in the V.League while playing for SLNA. Photo: IT

3. Striker Ho Phuc Tinh (SLNA):Outstanding performance in national youth tournaments with the highlight of winning the 2014 National U21 Championship with U21 SLNA.

At that tournament, Phuc Tinh showed extremely excellent performance when he won the double individual title "Best player of the tournament" and "Top scorer" with 5 goals, including the only goal against U21 Hanoi T&T in the final match.

Phuc Tinh was also called by coach Miura to the Vietnam U23 team during the preparation for the 2015 SEA Games, but in the V.League, he has not proven much.

After the First Division season, SLNA loaned him to Dong Nai to have more playing opportunities. Phuc Tinh returned to his hometown team in V.League 2017 and contributed 2 goals.

On the journey with SLNA to win the 2017 National Cup, Phuc Tinh played quite impressively, contributing 3 goals, including the goal that sealed the 5-1 victory for SLNA against B.Binh Duong in the second leg of the final.

At the age of 24, hopefully Phuc Tinh will contribute more to the Nghe An team.

Defender Van Khoa missed the chance to attend the 2016 U23 Asian Cup finals due to injury. Photo: IT

4. Defender Duong Van Khoa (Than Quang Ninh):Regular starter at Than Quang Ninh and highly appreciated by coach Phan Thanh Hung in the position of full-back.

During the preparation for the 2016 U23 Asian Cup finals, Van Khoa was also called up to the U23 team by coach Miura but suffered an ankle ligament injury and had to stay home right before the final hour.

In 2018, hopefully Van Khoa's luck will improve in V.League and the door of the Vietnam national team will open for him.