Former Song Lam Nghe An midfielder and his fate as a 'redundant' person in Thanh Hoa

It was thought that joining the Thanh team would be an opportunity for Pham Manh Hung to play more. Because, the Dong A Thanh Hoa team is quite thin and coach Velizar Popov and his team have to compete in 3 arenas: V.League, National Cup and ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup.

However, things have not gone in a positive direction for former Song Lam Nghe An defender Pham Manh Hung. Throughout the past time, the familiar position of the player born in 1993 has been on the bench.

Currently, coach Velizar Popov has a number of quality central defenders. The three players that the Bulgarian strategist regularly uses are Gustavo Santos, Igor Silva and Nguyen Thanh Long. Objectively, they always complete their assigned tasks excellently.

With Dong A Thanh Hoa currently in stable form (leading V.League 2024/2025) and especially with a solid defense, coach Velizar Popov has no reason to change the squad. Moreover, Pham Manh Hung is also on the "other side of the slope" of his career, even though he is about to turn 32.

Before being recruited by Dong A Thanh Hoa, the player nicknamed "Hung xa ngang" also could not get a starting position in Hai Phong and Thep Xanh Nam Dinh. The proof is that in V.League 2023/2024, Pham Manh Hung only had 6 appearances with a duration of 437 minutes.

Anyway, compared to the players of the same generation in 1993Lam River Nghe An In the past, like Dau Thanh Phong, Ho Sy Sam or Nguyen Van Duc, Pham Manh Hung's situation is much brighter. Simply put, the central defender from Thai Hoa town is living with his passion.

Hopefully, Pham Manh Hung will continue to train hard and soon gain the trust of coach Velizar Popov. It is very likely that in the coming time when the home team's competition schedule is dense, the Bulgarian strategist will rotate the squad and Pham Manh Hung will have more opportunities.

It is known that at the end of the 2024/2025 season, the contract between Pham Manh Hung and Dong A Thanh Hoa will also officially expire./.