Tuan Anh is at risk of missing the AFC U23 Championship

Before he could smile when defender Van Dung and midfielder Huu Dung returned to practice with the team, coach Miura's face was distorted when he saw Van Thanh, Duy Khanh and Anh Khoa injured in the practice session yesterday morning (December 11), and even worse was the information about Tuan Anh's recovery process.

Tuan Anh is at risk of missing the 2016 U23 Asian Cup Finals. Photo: VSI

Of the three names mentioned above, left-back Duong Van Khoa suffered the most serious injury. In the one-on-one practice match, the defender from Quang Ninh played energetically as usual, but in a situation where he tried to block a shot from his teammate, Van Khoa suffered an injury.

The doctor was immediately present, Van Khoa was given ice packs but there was no sign of pain relief. The national team doctor reported the injury to head coach Toshiya Miura, the Japanese coach asked his private driver to take Khoa to the hospital for a thorough examination.

According to the initial diagnosis, Van Khoa had a sprained right ankle. By the afternoon, the doctors had given the results of Khoa's injury. The player of Than Quang Ninh Club suffered an ankle ligament injury and needed 3 weeks to recover.

Duong Van Khoa is a left-back from Quang Ninh. He was born in 1994 and this is the first time he has been called up to the U23 team. Along with goalkeeper Hoai Anh, Khoa is considered the pride of football in the mining land. This time, Van Khoa has to compete with two other names, Manh Hung (SLNA) and Van Dung (Hanoi T&T).

Meanwhile, center back Dao Duy Khanh and striker Pham Van Thanh (both from HN T&T) also suffered muscle strain and had to apply ice packs during yesterday morning's training session. Both of them did not have too serious problems as Duy Khanh was able to return during yesterday afternoon's training session, Van Thanh needed a day to recover and could still participate in the friendly match with JFL Selection (Japan) this afternoon.

Also according to a source from fitness expert Shinichi Kubo, midfielder Tuan Anh (HAGL) needs more than 2 weeks to recover and the possibility that the player born in 1995 can participate in the U23 Asian Cup is still open.

“I am not sure when he will be able to return to the field,” he said. “But Tuan Anh’s knee injury will take about three weeks to recover. I am also not sure if he will recover in time for the Asian tournament.”

Mr. Shinichi's assessment is completely opposite to the examination results announced by Dr. Nguyen Trong Hien yesterday, who said that Tuan Anh's injury was not too serious and would only need 1 to 2 weeks to recover.

Yesterday, Tuan Anh took a day off to go to Ho Chi Minh City to sign a contract with Yokohama FC, becoming the first player from the HAGL Arsenal JMG training center to officially go abroad.

The injury situation of U23 also showed bright signs. After the training session yesterday morning, defender Van Dung and midfielder Huu Dung (Thanh Hoa) were able to return to play light matches, Minh Long was able to practice normally, while Duy Manh and Hong Duy still had to practice separately.

Yesterday's training sessions were mainly on wing play, low crosses and tactical coordination. The Japanese coach has adjusted the team's formation to prepare for the practice match against JFL Selection. This morning, the whole team was given a break to conserve energy and minimize injuries before the match.

The members of JFL Selection have been in Hanoi since yesterday and had their first training session at the VFF Youth Football Training Center. The match between the two teams will be held at Hang Day Stadium (Hanoi) at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon and will be open to the public. Two days later, the two teams will have a rematch, also at Hang Day Stadium.

According to Thethaovanhoa.vn