Before leaving for Qatar to attend the 2024 AFC U23 Championship finals, the Vietnam U23 team received bad news when Phan Tuan Tai suffered a knee injury and could not recover in time.

Thus, coach Hoang Anh Tuan will lose both left-backs Vo Minh Trong and Phan Tuan Tai in the upcoming Asian tournament. This is a big loss because Mr. Tuan no longer has any players who are good at playing in the left-back position. The strategist from Khanh Hoa must find a solution among the 27 players he brought to Qatar.

The first name mentioned is Ha Van Phuong. The player of the Hanoi Police Club is left-footed and is a winger. However, when necessary, Phuong can move back to play as a full-back or left winger.

Ha Van Phuong's strengths are speed and good personal technique. He can contribute a lot to the attacking situations for U23 Vietnam. However, his height of 1m70 is somewhat disadvantageous for this player when participating in defense. Besides, Phuong's defensive ability is not highly appreciated.

The second name expected to fill the position on the left wing of the U23 Vietnam defense is Khuat Van Khang. The player of The Cong Viettel is one of the most experienced players in the team. Under coach Philippe Troussier in both the U23 Vietnam and the national team, Van Khang is often arranged to play on the left side of the 5-man defense.

In the 2023 Southeast Asian Championship, coach Hoang Anh Tuan also used Khuat Van Khang in the left-back position in most matches.

Khuat Van Khang is skillful, has good speed and is a factor that can make a difference. If needed, Khuat Van Khang can play as an attacking midfielder and a false striker. However, this player's weakness is his ability to defend. Therefore, he always needs a good center back to cover behind.

The last name that can play in the left-back position is Hoang Van Toan. The player of Hanoi Police Club is left-footed and plays in the central midfielder position. However, in some matches, Van Toan is still arranged to play as a left-back.

Hoang Van Toan is a player with a tendency to play defense, so his defensive skills are better than Khuat Van Khang and Ha Van Phuong. His height of 1m75 helps Toan avoid disadvantages in competitive situations. In addition, Van Toan is good at deploying the ball, making him a reasonable choice for attacking on the left wing.