HÀ NỘI — Hoàng Anh Gia Lai FC’s young defender Vũ Văn Thanh has confirmed the news that he was introduced to playing in Europe by veteran scout Jernej Kamensek.

Thanh, 20, trained at Hoàng Anh Gia Lai-Arsenal JMG Academy. He started to play professionally in 2015 and was the best young player of the V. League last year.

He has a good physique and can play in different positions and score goals.

He earned a regular place in the U-23 and national squads in 2016 and early months of this year.

Slovenian scout Kamensek watched him play and appreciated his abilities. He was quoted as saying in the goal.com (Vietnamese version) that Thanh could definitely play in European countries such as Slovenia and Croatia.

Kamensek said he wanted to bring Thanh to the new destinations after the Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar this August.

He had officially talked with Thanh who confirmed the news in an interview with khampha.vn.

"Yes, he contacted me and I am happy about that, but at present I just want to focus on competing for Hoàng Anh Gia Lai,” he said.

“My chance to play in Europe will be decided by the club’s managers and it is a matter for the future. Apart from my club I will also try my best for the U-23s at the coming SEA Games,” said Thanh who revealed that Kamensek had talked with him earlier before the ASEAN Football Cup last December.

Kamensek has been working in Việt Nam for years.

Among his affairs, he brought World Cup participant Nastja Ceh of Slovenia to Thanh Hóa in 2012. Recently he also introduced Bosnian Serb coach Ljupko Petrovic who won the European Cup in 1991 to Thanh Hóa who are on top of the national V. League currently. — VNS