Công Phượng sidelined for entire season due to severe injury

The information that forward Nguyễn Công Phượng must sit out the complete 2025/26 season because of a severe injury is making supporters deeply worried. This is a major setback for Club Trường Tươi Đồng Nai and will directly affect the staffing strategy of the Vietnam national squad for 2026.

According to sources, the striker born in 1995 has been diagnosed with cartilage tear following re-examination. Initially, Công Phượng's injury was not assessed as overly serious, requiring only a short break from play. However, the recovery progress did not meet expectations, forcing the player to undergo thorough re-evaluation. The final results indicate he needs a prolonged period for full recovery, though surgery is not required. This effectively means the 2025/26 season has ended prematurely for the forward from Nghệ An province, with the First Division still having 10 rounds remaining.

This is an unfortunate scenario as Công Phượng has hardly made any professional contributions this season. He has only played exactly one half in the match against Khánh Hòa in round 8, but still managed to leave a mark with a goal. Subsequently, issues related to physical condition have caused his continuous absence. The inability to maintain stable form and fitness continues to be a major obstacle in the journey of the former HAGL star to rediscover himself.

Công Phượng's absence will undoubtedly significantly affect Đồng Nai's promotion ambitions. Although the club is maintaining impressive form and leads the standings with a 12-match unbeaten streak, losing a player with high potential for creating breakthroughs is still a considerable loss. In the context of an increasingly tense race in the final stage of the season, squad depth will play a decisive role.

At the national team level, this injury almost eliminates Công Phượng's chances of participating in important plans for 2026. He is likely to miss major regional tournaments, including the upcoming AFF Cup. The last time this forward wore the national team jersey was in September 2023, when he scored in a friendly against Palestine. Since then, a series of consecutive injuries have caused him to repeatedly miss appointments with the national squad.

Given that Vietnam's attack line now faces intense competition with the emergence of naturalized players and young domestic strikers, Công Phượng's chances of returning will become even more fragile if he cannot quickly regain his best physical condition. For a player once regarded as a symbol of a talented generation, possessing skillful technique and diverse finishing ability, having to miss the entire season due to injury is clearly regrettable.