Xuan Manh called, waiting for Van Duc's reply.
National team player Xuan Manh recently had the opportunity to "return home in glory" to his hometown of Nghe An after his success at the ASEAN Cup 2024. The more we admire Xuan Manh's versatility and effectiveness in this tournament, the more we remember Van Duc, because both sons of Yen Thanh, the rice-growing region, were also honored after their triumph in Changzhou in 2018 with the Vietnam U23 team. But now…
Football fans will never forget the journey of Van Duc and Xuan Manh, who were "recruited" from the U21 Song Lam Nghe An team to the Vietnam U23 team for the AFC U23 Asian Championship.
Called up last, both Van Duc and Xuan Manh quickly secured starting spots in the Vietnam U23 team. Van Duc was dynamic and unpredictable as a left winger, and even more so, he was a key player and a prolific goalscorer in the snowy Changzhou tournament. Meanwhile, Xuan Manh was quiet and solid as a right-back, sometimes even moving to center back. Both played exceptionally well in this memorable tournament.
Of course, later, due to injuries and changes in form, Van Duc was trusted more under coach Park Hang-seo, especially in the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Then, Van Duc transferred from Song Lam Nghe An to Hanoi Police, unfortunately suffered a long-term injury, and was later called up but not included in the final squad.ASEAN Cup 2024During Kim Sang-sik's time.
Xuan Manh also moved from Song Lam Nghe An to Hanoi FC. While not particularly outstanding in the capital city team's lineup, he caught the eye of the young South Korean coach and played extremely well defensively, initiating excellent attacks in the recent ASEAN Cup 2024 matches. Notably, Xuan Manh was named in the ideal team by the renowned statistics website Sofascore, receiving the highest score of 7.15 for the Vietnamese national team (compared to Hoang Duc 7.13 and Tien Dung 7.06).
While congratulating Xuan Manh, it's also worth remembering Van Duc because this "pair" has long shared similarities but also significant differences. They were once the two most outstanding players in the U21 generation in 2018. Coming on as substitutes in the final matches of the U21 National Championship that year, Van Duc and Xuan Manh showed a clear difference from the rest of the tournament and immediately caught the eye of coach Park Hang-seo.
Neither player was inferior to the other at the U23 Asian Championship in Changzhou, nor at Thanh Vinh FC, despite their unique qualities both on and off the field. After the Changzhou triumph and the grueling matches in the V-League, both suffered persistent injuries and worked incredibly hard to regain their former form.
The difference between these two players probably lies in the fact that Van Duc was more trusted in the national team under coach Park Hang-seo, even though he didn't perform exceptionally well. Van Duc scored a beautiful goal in the match against China on February 1, 2022 (the first day of the Lunar New Year), but he always struggled when coming on as a substitute in the World Cup Qualifiers Round 3 matches.
Xuan Manh didn't stand out in training camps and friendly matches under coach Kim Sang-sik, but unexpectedly he was trusted to play in the ASEAN Cup 2024 and did not disappoint his coach or the fans. He proved to be a new tireless player for the Vietnamese national team, a highly versatile player with top-notch defensive and offensive effectiveness, as voted by the aforementioned international rating website.
Currently, at the two ambitious clubs, Hanoi FC and Hanoi Police, where the aforementioned players are currently playing, Xuan Manh and Van Duc both have the opportunity to shine if they recover well from their injuries and adapt quickly to their new environments.
Clearly, coach Kim Sang-sik will base his selection on current form, then consider whether the player fits the playing style, as he has done before. In this respect, Xuan Manh has an advantage over Van Duc after what he showed at the ASEAN Cup 2024. But that doesn't mean Xuan Manh is guaranteed a spot while Van Duc is... out of the running? The efforts of any player, including Van Duc, will be rewarded at the right time.
Finally, the good news for the two aforementioned players, as well as many others, is that no matter where they go, Song Lam Nghe An will always be the most beloved home for these faraway sons to return to. This inherent quality is what fans always praise about each player, whether they achieve brilliant success or tirelessly pursue it.