Phan Van Duc: 'During difficult times, my family, friends and coach Park encouraged me to overcome'

After the end of the match between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia at AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar,Phan Van Ducreturned to the club to attend the signing ceremony of the sponsorship contract between SLNA and Grand Sport. Phan Van Duc was one of the players present at the ceremony alongside goalkeeper Nguyen Van Hoang and Pham Xuan Manh.

Phan Van Duc, Xuan Manh, Van Hoang, Hoang Van Khanh attended the sponsorship contract signing ceremony. Photo by Hai Hoang

Sharing about SLNA's goal in the new season, Phan Van Duc shared: "SLNA's goal next year is to have a new sponsor, I thank the sponsor. The whole team and I will try our best to compete and practice to not disappoint the fans and aim for top 5 or higher."

Next season, with the transfer to Tan Long Group, the team will have positive changes, including cooperation with Grand Sports. With strong financial backing, SLNA is looking to bring back to Vinh stadium Nghe An players who are playing at other clubs. The team's top target is central defender Que Ngoc Hai.

Phan Van Duc believes that if successful, this contract will "lead the young players and help the team become stronger."

Phan Van Duc has been under a lot of pressure lately as he has not been able to maintain his form as he did in the past. In the last two matches, the Nghe An player came off the bench but has not left much of an impression.

Phan Van Duc regrets missing the opportunity to score against Saudi Arabia. Photo: Hai Hoang

Facing pressure from public opinion, Phan Van Duc shared: “Recently, my performance in the national team was not good, so I received a lot of criticism. But in difficult times, I had family, friends and teachers to encourage me to overcome the pressure. The coach of the Vietnamese national team gave me his own encouragement. Coach Park is quite close and always encourages me, helping me overcome these stressful times.”

Phan Van Duc admitted that the past time was very difficult but he will use that pressure to become motivation for the coming time. At the same time, Duc "tiger" affirmed that through competing with the top teams in Asia, the Vietnamese players have learned many lessons to make more progress in the future.

“For the upcoming AFF Cup, my personal goal is to practice and work hard to regain my form. If given the opportunity to play, I will try my best to not let down my coach and teammates. My goal is to try, and to score as many goals as possible” – Phan Van Duc shared about his goal at the AFF Cup 2020.