Japanese-Mito Hollyhock FC have granted Vietnamese striker Nguyen Cong Phuong an extra month to recover from his injury.

Phuong suffered a collar-bone injury during Viet Nam’s 2-3 defeat against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the last Group D match of the Asian U23 Football Championship on January 21.

He underwent immediate surgery in Qatar. His injury is estimated to take up to two months to heal.

Because of the injury, Phuong returned Viet Nam after the rest of the team. He will go back to his hometown in Nghe An to rest for a short spell and enjoy the Lunar New Year holiday.

Phuong will arrive in Japan only a few days before the beginning of J-League 2, which kicks-off in late February 2016.

The Vietnamese national will play for the Japanese club this year on loan.