"I go home, I bathe in my pond..."

(Baonghean) - Good news for Nghe An fans when recently, SLNA announced that they had contacted Minh Duc and this veteran central defender agreed to return to Nghe An, when his contract with V.Hai Phong will expire at the end of December. This will most likely be the most valuable contract of the Nghe An team this season.

Minh Duc grew up in the "furnace" of Song Lam but left in the context that the Nghe An team did not have enough finance to retain talent. This central defender, praised for his personality, played for many famous teams such as The Cong, V.Hai Phong, XMXT.Sai Gon. Wherever he went, Minh Duc made a strong impression with his professional ability and lifestyle. This central defender was also honored to be the captain of the Vietnam National Team.

Among the generation of players who won glory at the U.16 Asia in 2000, only Minh Duc has maintained his form and achieved success until now. Although he has been honored by many teams, after many experiences, Minh Duc wants to return to Song Lam Nghe An, the place that gives him endless inspiration to play football. This is only a matter of time, when Duc's contract with V.Hai Phong will end at the end of December 2013 and this central defender will leave freely.

Center back Minh Duc (left), next season will likely wear SLNA's shirt.

It is known that Minh Duc and SLNA have had initial agreements. Money will not be a problem with this contract, because this is Minh Duc's wish, while the Nghe An team in the midst of a force crisis is also very willing. Coach Huu Thang really wants a top-class central defender to strengthen the defense, in order to maximize the strength of foreign players for the attack.

At present, SLNA has two promising young central defenders, Ngoc Hai and Manh Hung, but to succeed in the V.League, Huu Thang really needs an experienced player like Minh Duc. In addition to supporting his juniors, Minh Duc's appearance on the field also increases the confidence of the whole team. In addition, with an extremely standard lifestyle and activities, Minh Duc will also be an example for all young players to follow. Previously, SLNA also highly appreciated Minh Duc, but at that time, due to financial constraints, the Nghe An team was helpless.

Minh Duc was once considered a “living monument” at Lach Tray Stadium and his wife, also a native of Hai Phong. However, with SLNA, the place that trained him and made him famous, the emotions are incomparable. Returning to SLNA, where Vinh Stadium is like a “fire pan”, where there is the passionate love of football of Nghe people, those are things that, according to Minh Duc, are priceless.

With Cong Vinh and Minh Duc, SLNA will have the two best players they have ever trained. This is necessary because most of SLNA players are young and need a solid foundation to demonstrate their abilities. According to the plan, this week, Minh Duc will return to his hometown and have a meeting with SLNA leaders to officially discuss cooperation. After this meeting, the details of the contract will most likely be officially announced.

After returning from Germany, Huu Thang and his students have gathered again. Although there are only less than 10 people, but very disciplined, SLNA players still go to the field to practice regularly in the afternoon. In addition to Minh Duc, SLNA leaders also officially confirmed that Cong Vinh will return in early January 2014 and is eligible to participate in V.League in the Nghe An team's shirt.

In addition to domestic players, SLNA has also started recruiting foreign players. According to a member of the coaching staff of the Nghe An team, this season they have their own channel to exploit foreign players and the faces this season will be brand new, appearing for the first time in the V.League. It is known that after many U.21 players returned from the friendly tournament in Cambodia, SLNA's training and preparation for the new season can be systematic.

Vinh Liem