Nguyen Thanh Dat suffers ligament tear: Concerns arising from the wave of injuries devastating the U23 youth team.
Viettel midfielder Nguyen Thanh Dat has officially missed the remainder of the 2025/26 season after ligament surgery, adding to the growing list of young injured players.
The list of injured players in Vietnamese football has just grown longer with the addition of Nguyen Thanh Dat. The talented midfielder, currently playing for The Cong Viettel, has officially confirmed that he is facing the biggest nightmare of his football career: a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
The 2025/26 season ended prematurely with the U23 champion.
Information about Nguyen Thanh Dat's health status was indirectly shared by the player himself through images of his rehabilitation at the Sports Injury Center. With the status update "Acl-er 70+ days", it can be seen that the player born in 2004 underwent surgery in late 2025 and is currently in the process of trying to regain his mobility.
Due to the nature of ACL injuries, the average recovery time typically lasts from 7 to 9 months. This means the 2025/26 season has ended prematurely for the young star who once had an impressive spell playing for Binh Phuoc Club (now Dong Nai FC). This is a significant loss for The Cong Viettel in terms of squad rotation and a great disappointment for the Vietnam U23 team under coach Kim Sang Sik.
A wake-up call regarding the wave of injuries among young players.
Thanh Dat's absence is not an isolated case, but part of an alarming trend devastating the generation of promising young players. In fact, a number of key players in youth national teams are struggling with serious fitness issues:
- Van Truong (Hanoi FC) and Thai Son (Ninh Binh):They both experienced problems with ligaments and muscles.
- Bui Vi Hao:Currently recovering from a torn ankle ligament injury.
- North Temple:Struggling to regain form after a prolonged groin injury.
- Dang Tuan Phong (The Cong Viettel):He suffered a recurrence of his injury and missed the U23 Asian Cup qualifiers.
The fact that a series of promising Vietnamese football players are suffering serious injuries in their twenties raises serious questions about medical care, training programs, and especially the intensity of matches. When young players are forced to play too many matches at various levels without proper nutrition and recovery, the risk of ligament rupture becomes an inevitable consequence.
Looking at the bigger picture, the absence of players like Thanh Dat not only affects the strength of The Cong Viettel Club but also directly weakens the depth of the Vietnam U23 squad in upcoming important international campaigns.
