Song Lam Nghe An puts faith in domestic striker in the second leg of V.League 2017

(Baonghean.vn) - After not retaining striker Henry, who scored 6 goals in the first leg for SLNA, the Nghe An team is looking to give opportunities to domestic strikers such as Ho Tuan Tai and Ho Phuc Tinh.

In the early stages of the season, SLNA tried more than 20 foreign players, but at the last minute, SLNA's coaching staff finally decided on two players, Henry and Olaha. Of these, only the player born in 1997, Olaha Micheal, was rated higher and was retained.

SLNA may only play with 1 foreign player Olaha in the second leg of V.League 2017. Photo: Trung Kien

At the end of the first leg of V.League 2017, SLNA, despite having quality domestic players, still could not improve their performance because the quality of foreign players was too poor. That is the reason why the Nghe An team decided to look for another foreign player to play with Olaha.

However, up to this point, SLNA has tried out 12-13 players, including players who participated in the 2010 World Cup, but still has not found anyone suitable. This has forced the Nghe An team to consider other options.

“If we cannot find any players who meet the professional requirements, SLNA will most likely only play one foreign player in the second leg of V.League 2017. We looked for foreign players to strengthen the second leg very early but could not choose any suitable players.

There is not much time left until the deadline for finalizing the supplementary list, we may have to play against foreign players in the second half of the season. V.League teams all prioritize using foreign players for the striker position. As for us, we are ready to give opportunities to young domestic players." - Coach Nguyen Duc Thang said.

If given the opportunity, young strikers like Phuc Tinh, Tuan Tai or Van Duc can completely meet the team's requirements. Photo: Trung Kien

SLNA's squad has promising young faces such as Ho Tuan Tai, Ho Phuc Tinh and Phan Van Duc. Except for Tuan Tai who is injured, Van Duc and Phuc Tinh are the players who have played very well recently, in both the V.League and the National Cup.

In the first leg of the National Cup quarter-finals, striker Ho Phuc Tinh was the one who scored the opening goal for the home team. As for Phan Van Duc, this season he has played 5 matches, playing in the attacking midfield position but has also left certain impressions on fans. That is the basis for Nghe An fans to expect a determined SLNA in the remaining stages of the season, as a premise for the next season.

Trung Kien