'Creating a new generation of players for Vietnam aiming for the World Cup'; Man City about to make a £65 million blockbuster signing.

VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan: "Creating a new generation of players for Vietnam aiming for the World Cup"

Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) President Tran Quoc Tuan affirmed that the long-term and continuous investment process has helped Vietnamese football achieve many successes at the national team level in 2025. In the near future, the VFF will continue to develop young players, paying attention to men's and women's football with the aspiration of participating in the World Cup.

Sharing with the media about the journey of the Vietnamese national teams and plans for the near future, the President of the Vietnam Football Federation, Tran Quoc Tuan, began: “Vietnamese football experienced an emotional and very tense SEA Games 33. But in the end, Vietnamese football achieved outstanding results compared to SEA Games 32. Vietnamese football affirmed its position in the region and demonstrated a tenacious and unyielding fighting spirit, especially in the men's football final.”

The Vietnam U22 team was trailing 2-0 but successfully staged a comeback to win the most prestigious medal of the tournament. Never before has Vietnamese football achieved this, especially when playing on the host nation's home ground. To achieve these results, Vietnamese football has prepared for a long time. The current U22 team has been given opportunities to compete internationally against strong football nations in Asia for the past two years. This has helped the U22 Vietnam team strengthen their composure and gain international experience.

"When a team is trailing 2-0, the chances of turning the tide are very low, not only in Vietnamese football but also worldwide, especially in a final. This is a huge challenge not only for the U22 Vietnam team but also for major teams. Very few teams have managed to do this."

Coach Tran Quoc Tuan shared: “While on the field, I urged the team to regain their composure and try to score an early goal. Otherwise, I don't know how the match would have ended. I was very happy with the reasonable personnel and tactical changes; the team's performance improved in the second half. And when Thai Son came on, the U22 Vietnam team controlled the midfield and scored an early goal through Dinh Bac. Hope returned to us. From then on, the goals kept coming. This match was not for the faint of heart. Some spectators were so worried that they turned off their TVs, only to be overjoyed when the U22 Vietnam team took the lead again.”

A challenge for Vietnam U16, an easy task for Vietnam U19.

Today, the Vietnam U16 and U19 teams begin competing in the 2025 Southeast Asian U16 Futsal Championship and the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Futsal Championship.

In preparation for the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Futsal Championship, the Vietnam U19 futsal team has been training since November 16th, meaning they have had over a month to hone their skills. After this training period, the coaching staff has reduced the squad from 20 players to 14 before traveling to Thailand.

The purpose of organizing the Southeast Asian U19 Futsal Championship is to provide young futsal players with the opportunity to compete and gain experience, thereby improving their skills, as they previously had almost no chance to experience international competition.

According to the draw results, the Vietnam U19 futsal team is in Group A along with Thailand and Brunei. Group B consists of Indonesia, Myanmar, and Malaysia. The tournament will take place from December 23-29. Teams will play a round-robin format. The top two teams in each group will advance to the semi-finals. Tonight, the Vietnam U19 futsal team will play their opening match against Brunei U19. This is a weak opponent, so an easy victory is predicted for Coach Nguyen Tuan Anh's team.

Alongside the 2025 Southeast Asian U19 Futsal Championship, the AFF also organizes a regional tournament for the U16 age group. This tournament also aims to provide opportunities for young players to compete internationally and improve their professional skills.

With five teams participating in the U16 tournament, the AFF decided to use a single round-robin format. The top two teams will compete for the championship, while the third and fourth-placed teams will compete for third place. The five participating teams are Thailand (hosts), Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Brunei. According to the schedule, the Vietnam U16 futsal team will open their campaign with a match against the formidable Indonesia U16 futsal team this afternoon (December 24th).

Manchester United will be without Bruno Fernandes for six crucial matches due to injury.

Manchester United will be without Bruno Fernandes for the next six matches, including the Manchester derby on January 17th.
Bruno Fernandes had to leave the pitch after the first half of the away game at Villa Park, due to an injury sustained in a collision with Onana.

Coach Ruben Amorim said that the Portuguese captain had a soft tissue problem related to his hamstring muscles.

When asked if he was fit enough to play in the Boxing Day match against Newcastle on December 26th, Bruno answered emphatically, "No".

The 31-year-old midfielder is expected to miss Manchester United's next six matches against Newcastle, Wolves, Leeds, Burnley, Brighton, and the Manchester derby at Old Trafford on January 17th.

MU will visit Arsenal on January 25th, and that could be the perfect time for Bruno Fernandes' return.

This also marks the first time Bruno has been sidelined for an extended period due to injury while playing for Manchester United. Previously, he only missed two matches due to injury in May 2024 and another due to illness in March 2022.

Therefore, manager Amorim will only have two central midfielders to choose from for the match against Newcastle this weekend, as Kobbie Mainoo is also absent due to a calf injury.

Man City are about to make a £65 million blockbuster signing.

Antoine Semenyo is highly likely to become Manchester City's next "big signing" in the January 2026 transfer window.

British media outlets have unanimously confirmed that the Bournemouth winger has clearly expressed his desire to play for the Etihad Stadium club, despite intense pursuit from a number of other major clubs.

Both Man City and MU have had talks with Semenyo's agent in recent weeks. However, the balance clearly tips towards Man City, as the player himself has announced his choice. For Pep Guardiola, Semenyo is highly valued for his speed, strength, and versatility in playing multiple positions in attack.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano added: "Manchester City are accelerating negotiations and will finalize the last procedures in the next few days. Manchester United have also been informed of Semenyo's firm decision. Manchester City is the player's preferred destination."

The 25-year-old striker currently has a release clause worth £65 million, valid until January 10th. Semenyo's impressive form is the reason why Premier League giants cannot ignore him.

This season, he is currently the third-highest goalscorer in the Premier League, behind only Erling Haaland (19 goals) and Igor Thiago of Brentford (11 goals). After 16 matches, Semenyo has scored 8 goals and provided 3 assists, becoming the biggest highlight in the Bournemouth squad.