Nam Dinh appoints Mauro Jeronimo, Xuan Son ready to return
Nam Dinh announced Portuguese head coach Mauro Jeronimo. His debut match on November 23 against Long An in the National Cup coincided with the time when Xuan Son was eligible to play after 10 months of injury.
Nam Dinh FC officially appointed head coach Mauro Jeronimo on the afternoon of November 14. The Portuguese strategist will debut on November 23 when Nam Dinh Steel Blue takes on Long An in the National Cup — right when naturalized striker Xuan Son is eligible to play in this tournament.
Release date 11/23 and Xuan Son's competition qualification
Xuan Son was registered for the National Cup but was not on the V-League list for phase 1. Therefore, the match against Long An on November 23 will likely be the milestone marking the return of the 1997-born striker in the Nam Dinh club shirt, coinciding with the debut match of coach Mauro Jeronimo.
Vietnam National Team and the November 19 milestone
Xuan Son is currently training with the Vietnam national team, preparing for the match against Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers on November 19. According to this schedule, the naturalized striker can play for the national team before returning to the club level, ending 10 months away from the field due to injury.
Bench changes and tactical imprints
Before Mauro Jeronimo arrived at Thien Truong, Nam Dinh FC had a big change in the coaching position: Coach Vu Hong Viet stepped down to become Technical Director, Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien was appointed as Head Coach. Now, the Portuguese strategist takes over the "hot seat".
Mauro Jeronimo impressed during his time leading PVF CAND with his direct, open-minded attacking style. The current situation of Nam Dinh — possessing many Brazilian foreign players — promises to facilitate communication when the head coach speaks Portuguese, helping to shorten the gap of ideas between the coaching staff and the players on the training ground and in matches.
Sharing from Coach Mauro Jeronimo
“I am very honored to work at Nam Dinh Green Steel. This is a quality team, well-invested, with many good players. We will fight together to achieve the best results. This season, Nam Dinh Green Steel will participate in four tournaments, both international and domestic. It is both a challenge and an honor. Not many teams in Vietnam have such an opportunity,” Coach Mauro shared when meeting the players at Thien Truong Stadium.
Immediate impact on Nam Dinh
The return of Xuan Son and the new head coach brought a double boost to Nam Dinh FC after a period of unsatisfactory results. From the existing foreign players to the attacking philosophy of coach Mauro, the team at Thien Truong Stadium aims to improve performance and playing tempo right from the National Cup.
In the context of a tight schedule with four arenas as coach Mauro emphasized, the reasonable allocation of personnel and regenerating energy for the attack will be the immediate task. The match on November 23 is therefore not only the debut of the Portuguese coach, but also the first test for Nam Dinh's new competition structure when welcoming Xuan Son back to the squad.