Footballchannel.asia has named Vietnamese striker Nguyen Cong Phuong as one of 10 players to watch at the coming Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

The website’s reporter Eric Noveanto said these youngsters might outshine the more well-known players if they maintained their impressive form and grabbed their opportunities. As the tournament approaches, there is a sense of anticipation in the region regarding many youngsters who could make a name for themselves.

These under-23 players, selected from their respective teams, could become sensations at the Southeast Asian biennial multi-sport event.

Phuong, 20, is a former member of the Hoang Anh Gia Lai-Arsenal JMG Academy. The ‘Vietnamese Messi’ is undoubtedly one of the most promising football talents in Viet Nam. He made the breakthrough in the 2013 ASEAN Football Federation Cup U19, helping his team to reach the final, and later became a key player of the U-23 team under Toshiya Miura’s guidance.

The other players are midfielder Evan Dimas of Indonesia, winger Faris Ramli of the host nation, Cambodia’s attacking midfielder Prak Mony Udom and midfielder Sithu Aung of Myanmar, as well as defender Narubadin Weerawatnodom and striker Chanathip Songkrasin from Thailand, forward Faiq Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei, Malaysian midfielder Nazmi Faiz and midfielder Lembo Saysana of Laos.

VNS