Center back Do Duy Manh injured his foot in a traffic accident last night, November 5, and will be absent from the November training session of the Vietnamese national team.
The 27-year-old defender was hit by a motorbike coming from the opposite direction while driving in Hanoi. He had to go to hospital to get stitches on the instep of his foot and will need at least two weeks to recover.
This is a loss for the Vietnamese team, as they prepare to play the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup - Asia region. Duy Manh is the only central defender to start all six friendly matches of the team under coach Philippe Troussier.
Bui Tien Dung was called up to replace him. However, the Viettel midfielder has not played a single match under Troussier and was not on the initial list of players called up.
Do Duy Manh missed the first two matches of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup with the Vietnamese team. Photo: Hieu Luong
Before Duy Manh, the team did not have the services of Nguyen Quang Hai and Doan Van Hau, both due to injuries. Center back Que Ngoc Hai is also not in the best physical condition. The current list of healthy center backs includes Bui Hoang Viet Anh, Giap Tuan Duong (Hanoi Police), Nguyen Thanh Binh, Phan Tuan Tai (Viettel) and Luong Duy Cuong (Da Nang).
Not only the national team, Duy Manh also missed the match between Hanoi and Wuhan Three Towns in the third round of the AFC Champions League group stage on November 8. Previously, he was absent in the third round of the V-League when Hanoi lost to Cong An Ha Noi on November 3 due to health problems.
Bui Tien Dung was called up to the Vietnam national team to replace Duy Manh. Photo: Hieu Luong
Do Duy Manh is a talent from the Hanoi youth academy, who emerged in 2015 when he was promoted to the first team of Hanoi T&T (now Hanoi FC) as a central midfielder. Later, he switched to central defender when coach Park Hang-seo appeared, joining Bui Tien Dung and Tran Dinh Trong to form a trio in the U23 team. In the national team, he and Que Ngoc Hai have been the two top choices in the past five years.
The team will gather today and practice in private that evening. The first day's squad will consist of 25 players, with five members from Hanoi FC and two from Hai Phong still preparing to play in Asian club tournaments.
Vietnam will have a week of training before narrowing down the list to 28 players. On the morning of November 13, the team will travel to Manila, the capital of the Philippines. There, the team is expected to have three more training sessions before finalizing the list of 23 players for the opening match of the second qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup against the host country on November 16.
On November 21, Vietnam will return to My Dinh Stadium to welcome Iraq.
Hieu Luong
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