Defender Pham Manh Hung: It's never too late to change!

This information did not surprise many people, because everyone knew that the relationship between Pham Manh Hung and the Nghe An team had ended a long time ago. From a player who was highly appreciated for his talent (who used to play for the U23 Vietnam team), the central defender born in 1993 has "fallen rapidly" to become an average player in the SLNA team.

A series of mistakes by Hung “crossbar” in recent years has caused the Nghe An team to suffer many humiliating defeats. Typical examples include the own goal in the 0-2 loss to FLC Thanh Hoa in the first leg of V.League 2017, or most recently the unfortunate slip that allowed Nguyen Trong Hoang to score the goal that increased the score to 3-0 for FLC Thanh Hoa in the second leg of the 2018 National Cup semi-final.

Pham Manh Hung often makes mistakes in SLNA shirt. Photo: Document

The SLNA leadership and coaching staff did everything they could to help Pham Manh Hung find himself again, but the result was still only two words - disappointment. As a last resort, the Nghe An team had to push the player from Nghia Dan (Nghe An) to the bench. In V.League 2018, Pham Manh Hung only played 488 minutes. This is an extremely modest number for a 25-year-old player like Hung "crossbar".

Faced with that situation, the former U23 Vietnam player decided to leave SLNA to seek new challenges, or more precisely, to come to a new environment to find himself again. And Hai Phong is the next destination for the central defender born in 1993. It did not take long for the two sides to find common ground, with a 2-year contract and an undisclosed salary.

Arriving at Lach Tray, Pham Manh Hung will have the opportunity to reunite with his fellow Nghe An natives who are currently on the payroll of Hai Phong football team such as Technical Director Ngo Quang Truong (head coach of SLNA in the 2015 and 2016 seasons), Nguyen Dinh Bao, Vuong Quoc Trung, Nguyen Canh Duong, Dau Thanh Phong, Pham Dinh Vu Hai...

Former SLNA coach - Nguyen Quang Truong is currently the Technical Director of Hai Phong. Photo: Internet

Experts and fans of Nghe An hope that, in the port city, Pham Manh Hung will find his inherent qualities again. The examples of "overcoming difficulties" of Nguyen Anh Hung (former SLNA player, now playing for Quang Nam FC), Nguyen Dinh Bao, Vuong Quoc Trung... will help Hung "crossbar" to make more efforts in the journey to find and assert himself.

There is a saying: “After the worst comes the best.” As long as Pham Manh Hung does not give up his passion and continues to strive, success will come soon. Fans of Nghe An will never forget Hung “crossbar”’s contributions to SLNA and will always follow their idol’s footsteps./.