Vietnam defender set to play for top Dutch league club

Vietnamese defender Doan Van Hau will move to Dutch club SC Heerenveen under a US$1.4 million one-year loan agreement.

Doan Van Hau (R) will play for SC Heereveen for the 2019/2020 season. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Thoa

"The negotiation is done. The contract allows SC Heerenveen to make the move permanent if Van Hau performs well," Nguyen Quoc Hoi, a representative of Hanoi FC, told VnExpress.

Hau flew to the Netherlands on August 31 and undergo medical tests two days later. He will be present in Thailand on Sept 3 to prepare for Vietnam’s clash with Thailand in World Cup 2020 qualifiers two days later.

"Hanoi FC needs all the help at the moment because we are playing at three different tournaments, V. League, AFC Cup and National Cup. However, we still decided to let Van Hau go on loan because that is his desire. Hau going to Netherlands will be good for the national team in particular and Vietnamese football in general," Hoi said.

However, Park Hang-seo, head coach of Vietnam’s national team, said he was surprised by the defender’s transfer decision.

Park said Hau had approached him the day before, asking for permission to leave national team training to conduct the medical test in the Netherlands, promising to rejoin the team in Thailand on September 3.

Because Hau said he could not delay the medical for fear of affecting his chances of landing the move to SC Heerenveen, Park agreed, as long as the defender arrived in Thailand as promised.

However, Park added that his main concern was that Hau will not be available for the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in the Philippines at the end of this year.

"SEA Games are not FIFA, there’s a 99 percent chance that SC Heerenveen will not release him for the tournament," he said.

Hau is one of the most promising young talents of Vietnamese football. The 20-year-old skipper mainly plays at the left back position, but with a height of 1.85 meters, he can also play as a centre-back. He has won praise for his skills, physical strength and the ability to score goals as a defender.

Hau started playing for the national team when he was 18. At 20, he has already won tournaments like the AFF Cup 2018 with the Vietnam national team and V. League 2018 championship with Hanoi FC.

SC Heerenveen is a club that plays in the Eredivisie, the top football league in the Netherlands. Last season, they peaked at 11th with 41 points after 34 games. This season, they are placed 10th with five points after four games.

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