Ly Duc has returned to his new home, will HAGL's defense be shaky? No!

Unexpected decision

Pham Ly Duc has officially joined the Hanoi Police Club (CAHN). Last season, he was a key central defender for HAGL Club. However, Ly Duc's departure may not have much impact on the quality of the defense of the mountain town team. HAGL has prepared a replacement personnel plan.

Photo: Minh Tran

During the 2024-2025 season, there was also a period when central defender Pham Ly Duc was injured and had to miss many weeks of playing. During the aforementioned period, HAGL unexpectedly discovered central defender Dinh Quang Kiet.

The 18-year-old player performed well in the V-League, when he replaced Ly Duc in the HAGL defense. Even thanks to the matches he played in place of Pham Ly Duc, Dinh Quang Kiet was called up to the preliminary list of the Vietnam U.23 team, preparing for the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament.

Dinh Quang Kiet's weakness is that his experience is limited, due to his young age. However, experience is a factor that Dinh Quang Kiet will certainly accumulate over time. Next season, it is very likely that this player will play better than last season. Therefore, HAGL has reason to wait for a better version of center-back Dinh Quang Kiet in V-League 2025-2026.

HAGL has available alternative personnel plans

Dinh Quang Kiet's great advantage is his excellent physique, he is 1.95 m tall. With this central defender in the squad, HAGL will have significant strength in aerial balls and one-on-one contests.

Photo: HAGL FC

Another young HAGL central defender who also has a very good physique is Nguyen Van Trieu (22 years old, 1.88 m tall). Last season, Nguyen Van Trieu was the third choice among the domestic central defenders of the mountain town team, after Pham Ly Duc and Dinh Quang Kiet. Currently, Ly Duc has left HAGL, Nguyen Van Trieu is only behind Dinh Quang Kiet, which means Nguyen Van Trieu will have the opportunity to play more and more often.

With two central defenders Dinh Quang Kiet and Nguyen Van Trieu, HAGL is not worried about lacking a replacement for Pham Ly Duc. That is probably the reason why Technical Director Vu Tien Thanh is not too concerned about saying goodbye to the central defender of the Vietnam U.23 team. The mountain town team is still very young in defense, they are not worried about lacking personnel in this area.