The miraculous return of Hung 'crossbar' after serious injury

(Baonghean.vn) - Having suffered a knee cartilage injury before round 5 of V.League 2017, but since then, central defender Pham Manh Hung has returned to the field in a rather rare way.

Having only played one match against FLC Thanh Hoa at the beginning of the season, central defender Pham Manh Hung has been forced to be an involuntary spectator due to a knee injury. Going directly to Hanoi for a check-up, the player born in 1993 was diagnosed by doctors with a torn meniscus, requiring surgery and this central defender will have to sit out for almost a year before he can fully return.

After that, Manh Hung returned to Hanoi to complete the procedures to prepare for knee cartilage injury surgery at Hospital 108. However, he had to return home 10 days before the official surgery because the doctors warned that this player had liver problems.

Center back Pham Manh Hung is SLNA's best free kick player. Photo: Trung Kien

While undergoing liver treatment while waiting for his third trip to Hanoi, Manh Hung was "tipped off" by a colleague who was playing for Saigon Club to find a doctor in Bac Giang who could treat his knee cartilage injury safely, effectively and without the expense of surgery.

The story seemed absurd because the type of meniscus tear that Manh Hung suffered would definitely require surgery to return. However, seeing that his colleague had suffered the same injury and was cured by applying traditional medicine, the SLNA player decided not to go under the knife.

The result was surprising, after a period of treatment with the new method, Manh Hung went for a check-up and X-ray and was diagnosed by the doctors as having recovered, the wound had healed. And about a month ago, Hung "crossbar" was able to practice normally and was ready to play in the 17th round against Hanoi. However, it was not until the recent away match against SHB Da Nang that he had the opportunity to officially play after 8 months of absence, including the mid-season break to make way for the national team.

Center back Manh Hung (left) returned to the field earlier than Dinh Hoang, although he did not have to undergo surgery but was treated with tobacco. Photo: Trung Kien

This is a rare story in football and sports medicine in general, because before Manh Hung, Dinh Hoang also suffered a similar injury and had to go to Singapore for surgery for a similar torn meniscus injury. Despite trying very hard to train to be able to return, the right-back of SLNA still has to train separately. And it is likely that this national player will have to rest for another 4-5 matches, even until the end of the season.

The return of Manh Hung at this time is really good news for SLNA's coaching staff. This talented free-kick center back was arranged to play at left-back in the match against SHB Da Nang and contributed to ensuring the solidity of the Nghe An team's defense against "demons" like Merlo on the home team.

Trung Kien