Midfielder Vuong Quoc Trung: From a mainstay in Hai Phong to a 'redundant' in Thanh Hoa

After the 12th round of V.League 2019, the Board of Directors of Lach Tray Stadium decided to part ways with midfielder Vuong Quoc Trung and striker Nguyen Dinh Bao - two important pillars in Hai Phong's squad in recent seasons. This information surprised many experts and Vietnamese football fans.

Since arriving in Hai Phong (2015), Vuong Quoc Trung has always been the first choice of coach Truong Viet Hoang for the central midfielder position. In the V.League that year, the player born in 1990 played 22 matches and scored 1 goal for the port city team. Hai Phong's 6th place in the V.League 2015 was largely due to the midfielder wearing the number 19 shirt.

Vuong Quoc Trung (19) was a mainstay of Hai Phong from the 2015 season to the beginning of the 2019 season. Photo: VPF

With his excellent performances, Vuong Quoc Trung has won the trust of coach Truong Viet Hoang. It is no surprise that the former SLNA player is often present in the starting lineup of Hai Phong in the 2016 season. Playing 23 matches and scoring 2 goals are the outstanding contributions of Vuong Quoc Trung to the runner-up position of V.League 2016 of the home team Lach Tray.

In the following seasons, the 29-year-old midfielder continued to prove his talent and importance to Hai Phong. The number of matches used by coach Truong Viet Hoang in V.League 2017 (25 matches) and V.League 2018 (23 matches) is clear evidence. Even in the last half of the season wearing the Hai Phong team's shirt, Vuong Quoc Trung still managed to play 9/12 matches in V.League 2019, before joining Thanh Hoa.

In Thanh Hoa, the former SLNA and Hai Phong midfielder was rarely properly used by coach Vu Quang Bao, later coach Mai Xuan Hop. It seems that having to move to a new playing environment made Vuong Quoc Trung no longer himself. During the second leg of V.League 2019, the midfielder born in 1990 only played in 6 matches.

Vuong Quoc Trung (yellow shirt) in a rare opportunity to play for Thanh Hoa in V.League 2019. Photo: VPF

Notably, in the last 4 matches of Mai Xuan Hop and his team, Vuong Quoc Trung had to sit on the sidelines to watch his teammates play (he was not registered in the list of players for 3 matches). It is known that the midfielder wearing the number 19 shirt was not injured. The "disappearance" of Vuong Quoc Trung, especially in the recent play-off match between Thanh Hoa and Pho Hien, has partly reflected the difficult situation of this player in Thanh Hoa. At present, the contract between Vuong Quoc Trung and Thanh Hoa has officially expired. The possibility of the former SLNA and Hai Phong midfielder staying in Thanh Hoa is still open./.

Thanh Hung