Tien Linh returns

Today, October 8, striker Tien Linh returned to training with the Vietnamese national team, after a few days of separate training due to a back injury that had been lingering since playing for Binh Duong Club, as confirmed by coach Hoang Anh Tuan after witnessing him lob a goal in the 3-0 victory over Ho Chi Minh City Club on October 4.

This good news made coach Kim Sang-sik breathe a sigh of relief about the number 1 striker of the Vietnamese national team at the moment. However, whether the coach born in 1976 will use the player born in 1997 for the internal friendly match with Nam Dinh Club at 5:00 p.m. on October 9 is still a question mark.

In fact, it will not be easy for Mr. Kim to start Tien Linh in the friendly match with the defending champion Nam Dinh, especially when this team currently has 8 very high-quality Western players in the squad.

That internal match, with many foreign players possessing the mentality of wanting to show their highest ability for the Vietnamese team, promises to be a "heavyweight" encounter, which will bring a higher risk of injury than normal matches.

Therefore, it is highly likely that Tien Linh – after only one training session with the Vietnamese team – will not start in the friendly match on October 9. Even if he is kept completely, not playing a single minute is reasonable.

Opportunity to test the product

In fact, if Tien Linh does not play, it is also a good thing, as coach Kim Sang-sik will proactively test the remaining 5 strikers: Van Quyet, Van Toan, Dinh Bac, Quoc Viet, and Vi Hao.

Up to now, if Van Toan has not scored any goals, Van Quyet has scored 2 goals for Hanoi FC. In addition, the player with the best scoring record of the Vietnam team is Chau Ngoc Quang with 2 goals in V-League 2024 - 2025.

In addition, Mr. Kim will test the ability to adapt to high intensity for players from the 2003 generation such as Dinh Bac, Quoc Viet, and Vi Hao on the attack line.

After the closed friendly match with Nam Dinh Club, Mr. Kim will further evaluate Tien Linh's readiness to calculate his use in the official friendly match with the Indian team at Thien Truong Stadium at 6:00 p.m. on October 12.