As reported, in preparation for the Vietnam national team's training session in March, coach Philippe Troussier went directly to Japan to monitor and check the performance of striker Nguyen Cong Phuong, currently playing for Yokohama FC in J-League 2 in the 2024 season.
In the opening match of the new season against Renofa Yamaguchi Club, Cong Phuong was not on the Yokohama team's registration list. However, on the morning of February 25, the striker born in 1995 played the full 90 minutes in the match for the B team of the two teams.
The French coach met, updated information and encouraged Cong Phuong to continue to strive, first of all to have the opportunity to play more in J-League 2, thereby developing himself and contributing to the national team.
Coach Troussier directly watched Cong Phuong play in Japan (Photo: VFF).
Under coach Troussier, Cong Phuong was called up for the September 2023 training session, in a friendly match against Palestine. The Nghe An striker scored a goal in this match, but coach Troussier was still not satisfied.
In an interview with Targma (Japan), Cong Phuong shared about the meeting. He said: "Coach Troussier tried to come and watch and check my performance. We talked about many things but I would like to keep it a secret."
Regarding the possibility of being called back to the Vietnam national team, Cong Phuong said: "I consider it obvious that I have not been called up to the national team recently because I have not played an official match for the club.
For me, the top priority is to play a more active role for Yokohama, and then think about the possibility of returning to the national team. I want to focus on the most important place right now, Yokohama."
In the practice match with Tochigi City, the Yokohama FC coach arranged for Cong Phuong to play as a striker instead of a central midfielder like last season. The striker born in 1995 shared: "The more I play to my strengths, the easier it will be for me to score goals.
I prefer to play in my previous position and am focusing on perfecting those skills. I want to continue to prove my strengths."
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