OFFICIAL: Brazilian Coach Excludes Vietnam's Top Scorer

Young striker Tran Manh Quan unexpectedly omitted from Vietnam U17 final roster.

Coach Cristiano Roland has officially finalized the 26-player roster for Vietnam U17 to compete in the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship. Compared to the initial list of 28 players, the two excluded are defender Vu Duc Huy (CAHN) and striker Nguyen Manh Quan (Hanoi). Among them, Manh Quan's omission is particularly regrettable.

According to information from Hanoi Youth Football Fanpage, young striker Tran Manh Quan scored a total of 29 goals in official competitions in 2025, making him the Vietnamese player with the highest number of goals scored in the year (across both youth and professional levels).

Specifically, this striker scored 14 goals in the 2025 National U15 Championship, 9 goals in the National U17 Championship, and most recently 5 goals in the 2026 Asian U17 Qualifiers while playing for Vietnam U17. Notably, Tran Manh Quan won the top scorer title in both the National U15 and U17 Championships, and was also the highest scorer for Vietnam U17 in the 2026 Asian U17 Qualifiers campaign.

Despite being a key striker for Vietnam U17 in the Asian U17 Qualifiers 2026, Tran Manh Quan was surprisingly absent from the roster for the 2026 Southeast Asia U17 Championship. Notably, head coach Cristiano Roland even brought 4 goalkovers to this tournament instead of the usual 3.

Previously in the Asian U17 Qualifiers 2026, Manh Quan was initially not called up despite being the top scorer of the National U17 Championship and a student of Coach Roland himself at Hanoi U17. However, after Nguyen Le Quang Khoi suffered an injury, Manh Quan was subsequently added to the squad.

However, in this Southeast Asia U17 Championship, with Quang Khoi's return, it was Manh Quan who lost his spot. In the Asian U17 Qualifiers, in Vietnam U17's 6-0 win over Singapore, Manh Quan, despite only coming off the bench, managed to score 2 goals. Later, in the emphatic 14-0 victory over Northern Mariana Islands, Manh Quan was voted the best player of the match and added another 2 goals. His remaining goal came in the 4-0 win against Macau.

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