Duc was called by Park Hang-seo to fill thesenior slot of Vietnam. Therefore, the Indonesian U23 national team must keep akeen eye on him, the article wrote.
It also said Duc could be a card in coach ParkHang-seo's sleeve as the midfielder can be fielded as a striker if needed.
Besides Duc, the newspaper also pointed to three otherVietnamese players that U23 Indonesia should be careful about, namely strikerNguyen Van Tung and defenders Bui Hoang Viet Anh and Phan Tuan Tai.
Both Vietnam and Indonesia are strong candidates for the goldmedal in men's football at SEA Games 31. Therefore, the match between the two in Phu Tho province is assessed as the fiercest of Group A.
Vietnam won the first-ever SEA Games gold medal afterdefeating their Indonesian rivals 3-0 in the final of SEA Games 30 in thePhilippines.
SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia",is slated for May 12-23 in Hanoi and 11 nearby localities, featuring 40 sports.It is expected to attract around 10,000 participants.
The region's largest sport event has been postponed due tocomplicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally scheduledto take place from November 21 to December 2 last year./.