The head coach of Vietnam U23 has an extremely unexpected new position

Following his departure from SLNA, coach Phan Như Thuật joined PVF CAND in the role of assistant coach.

Coach Phan Như Thuật resigned as head coach of SLNA club in October. He made this decision right after a 2-3 home defeat against Ho Chi Minh City Police. This was the second time the 41-year-old coach stepped down from the leadership role of the Nghe An club.

The person who took over the head coach position at SLNA club was coach Văn Sỹ Sơn. After Quang Nam dissolved, this strategist has yet to find a new team. Văn Sỹ Sơn was once a symbol of Nghe An football as a player and is also highly regarded for his coaching experience.

After leaving SLNA club, coach Phan Như Thuật was called up to join the coaching staff of Vietnam U23 during the October training camp. He acted as assistant to the acting head coach Đinh Hồng Vinh during the training trip in Qatar and recently completed the AFC Pro License course in December.

However, despite holding the Pro License—the highest coaching qualification from AFC—coach Phan Như Thuật chose to work as an assistant to another strategist in the V-League. Specifically, the Nghe An coach will serve as assistant to coach Thành Công at PVF CAND during the second phase of the V-League.

As previously reported, PVF-CAND club officially appointed coach Nguyễn Thành Công to replace coach Thạch Bảo Khanh. This decision was made due to the team's unstable performance and the need for changes to improve their standing on the league table. The arrival of this experienced coach is expected to bring new energy to the V-League newcomer.

Upon joining PVF CAND, coach Nguyễn Thành Công brought along two long-time assistants, Hàn Văn Tuấn and Nguyễn Đức Cường, who have worked with him at previous clubs. Additionally, the Nghe An strategist wanted to include an experienced technical assistant familiar with PVF.

The chosen assistant to work alongside coach Nguyễn Thành Công is Mai Tiến Thành. The former talented midfielder of the Vietnam national team has extensive experience working at PVF, especially in youth training. Notably, he recently served as assistant coach for the Vietnam U18 team. Together with coach Phan Như Thuật, PVF CAND will have a very experienced coaching staff.