Hung 'crossbar' needs to win over himself

(Baonghean) - Perhaps at this point, coach Nguyen Duc Thang and his teammates have done everything they can to help Pham Manh Hung regain his form. The remaining question is whether the former captain of U23 Vietnam can overcome himself and regain what he once showed...

In 2010, at the age of 17, Manh Hung quickly asserted his class with his ability to command the defense, especially his precise and dangerous free kicks. Bringing U17 SLNA into the final match of the National U17 tournament with 3 goals all coming from set pieces, Manh Hung became a formidable free kick taker.

That is why when watching Hung “tiu” play, people have reason to expect a “new version”, the successor of the steel center back Nguyen Huy Hoang. Just one year later, Pham Manh Hung caught the eye of coach Nguyen Huu Thang and was specially promoted to the first team to practice with the senior players. However, continuous injuries (torn ligaments) caused the player born in 1993 to disappear in the 2 V.League seasons of 2011 and 2012.

V.League 2017 is the best opportunity for center back Pham Manh Hung to surpass himself and regain the trust of fans and SLNA's coaching staff.

By the 2013 season, Coach Huu Thang’s faith in his student also paid off. In the Nghe An team’s defense, Manh Hung “surpassed” Ngoc Hai to become the number 1 choice to pair with Huy Hoang with 19 matches, 18 official appearances.

The youth and guidance of his senior helped Manh Hung not encounter many difficulties in marking foreign players and blocking the opponents' attacks. That year, SLNA only lacked a bit of luck to finish in 2nd place, even the possibility of competing for the championship. At the same time, V.League 2013 also witnessed the remarkable progress of the central defender from Nghia Dan.

His strong and dedicated playing style in SLNA helped Manh Hung score points and be highly valued in the national team and become the number 1 hope of U23 Vietnam at SEA Games 27. But from here, Pham Manh Hung began to show signs of decline.

Unprofessional living style makes SLNA's young talent gradually lose himself. V.League 2014 continuously witnessed the blameworthy mistakes of this central defender. When leader Huy Hoang was no longer there, Manh Hung should have become the support for his teammates, but in his second season playing at the top level, Hung let Que Ngoc Hai take the starting position and only played in 12 matches.

A year later, Manh Hung was still trusted by coach Ngo Quang Truong, but in the second half of the season, Hung played poorly, winning one match and losing another. Especially in V.League 2016, inconsistent performance and penalty cards made Manh Hung no longer appreciated, with only 12 chances. In the last 2 seasons, this central defender not only brought worries to his teammates and the coaching staff, but also became the "sinner" in undeserved defeats with 11 yellow cards and 2 dismissals.

Not only that, his temper and lack of restraint in the 2015 National U21 qualifying round caused him to be removed from the club's roster.

However, Manh Hung's efforts to find himself still brought certain successes. These include the championship with U21 SLNA in 2014, the bronze medal at the 28th SEA Games in Singapore and a convincing performance in the U23 Asian qualifiers with the nickname Hung "crossbar".

Under coach Toshiya Miura, Pham Manh Hung was still highly regarded and used. However, when he “disappeared” from the national team, fans could not help but feel sorry for a talented player.

Having helped his students overcome difficulties on and off the field many times, Coach Nguyen Duc Thang shared: “If Manh Hung plays football with concentration, he will be a great player. After a while, Manh Hung has somewhat lost his sense of playing football. This year, I really hope Manh Hung will regain what he once had…”.

As for himself, Manh Hung is also always concerned about his current form. “Recently, I have not been really satisfied with my performance. After a long time without being able to focus on the National Team, I also take that as motivation to strive every day. In the new season, I will try to play well in every match, regain my form as well as the trust of the coaching staff and fans and promise to play my best, not to disappoint the love and expectations of everyone”…

In theory, what Pham Manh Hung has shown is not worthy of his class and potential. In the context that Ngoc Hai also shows signs of slowing down, Manh Hung once again made a mistake in the loss to FLC Thanh Hoa in the opening day of V.League 2017, making fans even more worried about the remaining long journey of the Nghe An team.

At the age of 24, there is not much time left for Hung 'crossbar' to strive to rise up and save himself. SLNA is trying to regain the trust of fans, and a player like Manh Hung needs to know what he must do to regain what he has lost before it is too late. Because there will certainly be a time when SLNA's coaching staff will have difficulty considering using Manh Hung due to too many regrettable mistakes in the past.

Trung Kien