Defender Tran Dinh Dong: The older the ginger, the spicier it is!

Entering this season, the left-back position is the most difficult problem for SLNA's coaching staff. Pham Manh Hung transferred to SHB Da Nang and national player Pham Xuan Manh suffered a long-term injury, leaving coach Nguyen Duc Thang with only Vo Ngoc Duc who is good at playing left-back. Therefore, the Nghe An team decided to recruit Tran Dinh Dong with a 1-year contract.

The appearance of the former FLC Thanh Hoa defender at SLNA in the early days still did not bring peace of mind to experts and fans of Nghe An. Simply put, Tran Dinh Dong is 32 years old - the age when most Vietnamese players have retired or are in the final stage of their careers. Many people even think that Tran Dinh Dong returned to Vinh Stadium to "retire", not to continue pursuing his "shorts and shirt" career.

Tran Dinh Dong (orange shirt) returns to SLNA after 3 seasons playing for FLC Thanh Hoa. Photo courtesy

However, the SLNA coaching staff's thoughts on Tran Dinh Dong are different. In addition to his proven professional qualifications (wearing the U23 Vietnam jersey in 2009 and the Vietnam National Team in 2016), Tran Dinh Dong also possesses a wealth of experience and especially has a deep understanding of SLNA. This is a necessary addition to the Nghe An team in the 2019 season, especially after the defender duo Que Ngoc Hai - Pham Manh Hung left Vinh Stadium. And the trust of the SLNA coaching staff has been duly rewarded.

In the last 3 matches of SLNA in V.League 2019, Tran Dinh Dong was in the starting lineup and played the full 270 minutes. The excellent performances of the player born in 1987 in the left-back position greatly contributed to the unbeaten record of coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his team (2 wins, 1 draw). Just look at the harmlessness of Dinh Thanh Trung (Quang Nam), Nghiem Xuan Tu (Than Quang Ninh) and Ho Sy Giap (B.Binh Duong).

Remember, all 3 players mentioned above are extremely dangerous midfielders - right wingers of Vietnamese football today. Dinh Thanh Trung was the 2017 Vietnam Golden Ball, Nghiem Xuan Tu was the "Assist King" in V.League 2018 (17 assists) and the 2016 National First Division Top Scorer - Ho Sy Giap, who just scored a double against SHB Da Nang (round 2). All had to "keep quiet" because of the supervision of Tran Dinh Dong. The fact that Nghiem Xuan Tu and Ho Sy Giap did not play the full 90 minutes is clear evidence of the excellence of the defender wearing the number 16 shirt.

Olaha's goal against Quang Nam came from a pass from Tran Dinh Dong. Photo courtesy

Not only impressing in his defensive duties, Tran Dinh Dong also showed how good his ability to support the attack is. With a strong physical foundation, the 32-year-old defender often has extremely dangerous climbing moves and highly unpredictable passes.

The smart through ball that helped Olaha score the opening goal in the match between SLNA and Quang Nam (2-0) is a typical example. Witnessing the excellence of Tran Dinh Dong, Nghe An fans were somewhat reassured with the left-back position of SLNA.

Looking at Tran Dinh Dong's running steps and ball fights, many SLNA fans exclaimed: "The older the ginger, the spicier it is"./.