Midfielder Nguyen Tuan Anh has not been able to return to training with HAGL and faces the possibility of being absent when Vietnam visits Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on March 21.
"Nguyen Tuan Anh still can't practice again," coach Vu Tien Thanh told VnExpress on the morning of March 6. "He had knee surgery and was hit hard in the match against Ha Tinh on February 18, so he relapsed."
Tuan Anh played on Ha Tinh field with his knee wrapped in bandages. He had to leave the field in the 71st minute due to signs of pain, and then missed the next three matches of HAGL, when they drew 0-0 with Quang Nam and Khanh Hoa and most recently won 2-1 on Thanh Hoa field.
Nguyen Tuan Anh in the 0-1 loss to Indonesia at the Asian Cup in Qatar on January 19. Photo: Lam Thoa
"Tuan Anh has a history of injuries so I cannot risk using him when he has not fully recovered. He will probably not play when HAGL hosts Ho Chi Minh City on March 9. In my opinion, it is also difficult for Tuan Anh to join the training camp to play against Indonesia in the World Cup qualifiers," added Mr. Vu Tien Thanh.
Tuan Anh was born in 1995, in the first batch of HAGL Arsenal JMG Academy. He was once rated by manager Doan Nguyen Duc as the best of the batch, better than Nguyen Cong Phuong, Luong Xuan Truong or Vu Van Thanh... However, the career of the player from Thai Binh encountered many obstacles when he was often injured with all kinds of things such as biceps femoris inflammation, knee, torn meniscus... Tuan Anh missed many tournaments due to injury such as SEA Games 2015, U23 Asia 2016, AFF Cup 2016.
Tuan Anh's absence will give coach Philippe Troussier a headache with the personnel problem for the away match against Indonesia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. In addition to Tuan Anh, midfielder Do Hung Dung is also injured, absent from the recent matches of Hanoi FC and faces the risk of not recovering in time to join the national team. Center back Que Ngoc Hai is also racing against time for treatment and whether he will be able to participate in the next match of the Vietnamese team on March 21 is still a question mark.
In Group F, Vietnam is currently in second place with three points, two points ahead of Indonesia. The result against this opponent could decide Vietnam's ability to compete for a ticket to the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup. Winning at least one match or drawing both matches is a favorable scenario for Troussier and his team.
Lam Thoa
Source link
Comment (0)