British press disappointed with HAGL’s talent in the World’s top 40

On October 14, 2014, The Guardian of England surprised Vietnamese football fans by naming young talent Phan Thanh Hau of HAGL JMG into the list of "40 best young talents in football."

The Guardian wrote: “Phan Thanh Hau is the heartbeat of their midfield, always available and ready to spray passes short and long and to use a deft first touch to create space for a lovely left-foot to prise open opposition defences. His next move is either to the V-League or Europe.”

At the time of publication, the U19 in Vietnam was making a big splash in Southeast Asia. However, Thanh Hau, Cong Phuong, Xuan Truong or Tuan Anh were not the brightest stars.

Asian football expert John Duerden decided to put his trust in the Quang Ngai-born player with a slim body when he is only 1.69 meters tall and weighs 54kg. However, after 5 updates, both John Duerden and The Guardian lost faith in Thanh Hau.

The Guardian updated on Thanh Hau:

 " October 2015 update: Has broken into the first team at Hoang Anh Gia Lai and has settled well, though the Arsenal-affiliated club are not the force they used to be.

October 2016 update: Has been in good form of late playing for Vietnam's Under-19 team, tipped to break into senior team before too long.

October 2017 update: Has continued to star in the Vietnamese league for Hoang Anh Gia Lai but has struggled with injuries of late and missed SEA Games, Southeast Asia's big Under-23 tournament. Tipped to make the senior side before too long.

October 2018 update: Injury has slowed his progress a little. The midfielder is playing in the V-League with Hoang Anh Gia Lai but has yet to break into the national team.

October 2019 update: Has been struggling a little with injuries but is still representing Hoang Anh Gia Lai.”

From being expected by The Guardian to become a new star of the Vietnamese team, Phan Thanh Hau gradually lost himself due to injuries. After 6 years on the list of "40 best young football talents in the world", the 23-year-old player has no place and was benched at HAGL.

What will expert John Duerden and The Guardian write about Phan Thanh Hau on Oct 2020?

At the age of 23, Thanh Hau still has a lot of time to develop his career. However, the success or failure of a talent will depend greatly on the player's efforts. Therefore, the midfielder wearing the number 22 needs to try to improve fitness and training efforts to find an official position at HAGL, before thinking about breaking into the semior team.

Phan Thanh Hau, 23  is a player of course 2 at the HAGL Arsenal JMG academy along with a number of other U19 players such as Hoang Thanh Tung, Nguyen Huu Anh Tai, Nguyen Phong Hong Duy or Luong Hoang Nam.