Former Song Lam Nghe An midfielder 'disappears' in Quang Nam province.
(Baonghean.vn) - The 2023/2024 season is drawing to a close, but Cao Xuan Thang, a former Song Lam Nghe An midfielder, remains a surplus player in the team led by coach Van Sy Son.
As of now, after 17 rounds of the V.League 2023/2024, Cao Xuan Thang has yet to play a single minute for Quang Nam. Even recently, the former Song Lam Nghe An midfielder hasn't been included in the reserve list by coach Van Sy Son.
Reportedly, besides frequently suffering injuries, Cao Xuan Thang also couldn't compete with his teammates. Currently, the winger position at Quang Nam is quite crowded with a number of quality players such as Ngan Van Dai, Yago Ramos, Le Xuan Tu, Nguyen Van Trang, and Nguyen Dinh Bac.
In fact, Cao Xuan Thang has been overlooked by the Quang Nam coaching staff for more than just this season. Proof of this is that his total playing time for the Quang Nam team is only 271 minutes, equivalent to three full matches, and he hasn't scored a single goal.
It is highly likely that for the remainder of this season, Cao Xuan Thang will remain a "surplus player" at Tam Ky Stadium. This is extremely disappointing for the 31-year-old. If the situation does not improve, it is highly probable that Cao Xuan Thang will leave Quang Nam when the 2023/2024 season officially ends.
As is well known, Cao Xuan Thang is a product of the Song Lam Nghe An academy, born in the same year as Que Ngoc Hai, Pham Manh Hung, Nguyen Sy Nam, etc. Before moving to Tam Ky Stadium at the beginning of the 2022 season, the player from Quynh Luu had a fairly long period playing for Song Lam Nghe An (2015 - 2021).
In the past, Cao Xuan Thang played for Can Tho Lottery and Binh Dinh on loan. Notably, he was called up to the Vietnam U19 team in 2012 and the Vietnam Olympic team in 2014, under coach Toshiya Miura. According to experts, Cao Xuan Thang is a fairly talented player.
Unfortunately, injuries prevented Cao Xuan Thang from reaching the level of a star, similar to his peer Que Ngoc Hai. Cao Xuan Thang spent more time recovering from injuries than playing on the field. Therefore, the impact he left while wearing the Song Lam Nghe An jersey was rather unremarkable.
Nevertheless, during his time playing for his hometown team, Cao Xuan Thang did win a prestigious title: the 2017 National Cup, the most recent championship won by Song Lam Nghe An.
