Looking at Phan Van Duc - Pham Xuan Manh, it's a pity for Hoang Vu Dat and SLNA

Players Hoang Vu Dat, Phan Van Duc, Pham Xuan Manh are the first generation of Yen Thanh players to make a name for themselves in the SLNA youth team. This player born in 1996 was the captain of the Yen Thanh Children's Football Team participating in the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament in 2006.

In 2006, at the Nghe An Newspaper Cup Youth Football Tournament, Hoang Vu Dat was the captain of Yen Thanh Children's Football Team, helping his district team reach the final match. That year, Yen Thanh Children's Football Team missed out on the championship, but it was a stepping stone for young talents to join SLNA.

After only 1 year of training at SLNA, Hoang Vu Dat was immediately placed by Coach Pham Anh Tuan and Coach Ngo Quang Truong in the main squad of U13 SLNA to participate in the national U13 and U15 tournaments in the following years. The milestone of the 2012 National U17 Finals in Hue is probably an unforgettable memory for Nghe An fans as well as Hoang Vu Dat.

Midfielder Hoang Vu Dat was the captain of SLNA team that won the National U17 Championship in 2012. Photo: Quang Thai

At that tournament, people soon recognized talents such as Hoang Van Khanh, Pham Xuan Manh, Ho Tuan Tai, Phan Van Duc. And Hoang Vu Dat was a prominent factor with the captain's armband, even though Vu Dat was one year younger than Van Khanh and Tuan Tai.

Possessing an ideal physique, Hoang Vu Dat plays in the position of a defensive midfielder. With a quiet playing style, the captain of SLNA U17 not only plays the role of a defensive midfielder but also plays the role of creating the ball for his teammates in the front line. Defeating Dong Tam Long An in the final, SLNA U17 stepped onto the podium of glory for the 7th time in the history of the tournament. At the same time, coach Ngo Quang Truong's SLNA U17 also won many individual titles.

At a time when SLNA had too many good central midfielders and became crowded, Hoang Vu Dat still had no chance to be promoted to the first team when he was 18-19 years old. The former captain of SLNA U17 was recruited by Second and First Division teams such as People's Police and Phu Yen on loan, continuously appearing in the official lineup.

Midfielder Hoang Vu Dat played for SLNA U21 before retiring early. Photo: Trung Kien

And with his natural talent and the chance to compete in a professional environment, the day Hoang Vu Dat is promoted to SLNA's first team is just a matter of time. Being gentle and docile, the 2016 National U21 qualifying round in Thanh Hoa is a tournament that Hoang Vu Dat has high expectations for. Along with Bui Dinh Chau, his teammates hope that this will be a pair of cards that will help SLNA's midfield have both the muscle and the necessary soft play.

However, Hoang Vu Dat was not included in the team by the head coach. And perhaps this is part of the reason why U21 SLNA was eliminated and absent from the final round. Talented as he is, at the age of 21, this player has not yet been considered for a chance to compete in the V.League, which is a big question mark.

Realizing the difficult future of their son and anxious when his teammates were all promoted to SLNA's first team, the family decided to terminate the contract to send Hoang Vu Dat to work abroad in England. This unexpected decision completely changed the fate of the young SLNA talent and the Nghe An team also lost a promising factor.

Seeing Hoang Vu Dat holding the contract termination papers to leave SLNA after 9 long years of training and hard work, SLNA coaches and teammates could not help but feel regretful. Because among SLNA's young players, Hoang Vu Dat was expected to be a more perfect new version than his senior Ngo Hoang Thinh.

Hoang Vu Dat is playing for the SLNA fan team in England. Photo: FBNV

Just half a year after Hoang Vu Dat left SLNA, his peers Phan Van Duc and Pham Xuan Manh won the national bronze medal with U21 SLNA before joining U23 Vietnam to make a splash at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship. This tournament brought Van Duc and Xuan Manh to a new level and they gradually became pillars of SLNA and the national team.

Even midfielder Bui Dinh Chau - who played alongside Hoang Vu Dat at the National U17 Finals that year - also joined SLNA to prepare for V.League 2020. In addition, the Nghe An team is also welcoming a generation of players who have reached their peak in their careers such as Hoang Van Khanh, Ho Tuan Tai, Nguyen Phu Nguyen, and Ho Van Tu.

In England, Yen Thanh still did not give up his passion, but only in amateur matches organized by Nghe An people. At home, coach Ngo Quang Truong could not help but feel regretful for his former student. If his family had been a little more patient, at this time, at least SLNA would have had a central midfielder capable of replacing Ngoc Toan, Khac Ngoc had left.

Phan Van Duc, Xuan Manh and SLNA players send New Year wishes to fans for the Year of the Rat 2020

(Baonghean.vn) - Entering the new year of Canh Ty 2020, SLNA stars such as Phan Van Duc, Pham Xuan Manh, Ho Tuan Tai wish Vietnamese football fans and Nghe An football fans a new year and new victories.