HÀ NỘI — Midfielder Phan Thanh Hậu of V.League club Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) will play for Hải Phòng under a one-year loan contract.

In 2014, after his performance as a member of the Việt Nam U19 national team at the 2014 AFC U19 Championship, Hậu was listed by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper as one of the 40 best young football talents in the world.

The 20-year-old midfielder, who is a product of the HAGL-Arsenal JMG Academy, was highly regarded for his skills and tactics.

However, Hậu’s career hasn’t advanced significantly since. His weakness is his small stature and low physical strength. Because of this, Hậu played only 10 matches in the starting line-up of HAGL in the national premier league 2017. He wasn’t called to the national U23 team.

This year, HAGL will welcome the return of midfielder Lương Xuân Trường who finished his loan contract with Gangwon FC club of South Korea. Also, HAGL now own many other outstanding midfielders such as Trần Minh Vương and Triệu Việt Hưng.

Hải Phòng, who finished seventh in the league, have welcomed three rookies from HAGL. Earlier, they borrowed two young midfielders Lê Phạm Thành Long and Lương Hoàng Nam. — VNS