Star midfielder Hai can succeed in Austria: expert

By Xuan Binh April 22, 2022 | 01:05 am PT

Nguyen Quang Hai (in white) dribbles during his last V. League game for Hanoi FC, against Viettel FC, on April 4, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Thoa

Austrian commentator Tom Middler said Vietnam's superstar midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai could become a fan favorite if he joins Austrian club LASK.

"I think Quang Hai will be loved by the fans here. He is a versatile player and has the ability to score many long-range goals. Despite being only 25 years old, Hai is an experienced player.

"'Hai' means 'shark' in German, so the fans will love this nickname. I hope that Hai can raise the level of Vietnamese football," Middler told VnExpress on Thursday.

For LASK, the club have a chance to play in UEFA Conference League next season.

Middler is a football and F1 race commentator. He has done commentary for many tournaments of Asian Football Confederation. Recently, he has watched many games of Vietnam and was impressed with the team's improvement.

Twitter football channel SorereAustria also said Hai could have a chance at LASK.

"The club are trying to build a powerful and stable attacking line. They have not been consistent this season, but still have quality players like Sascha Horvath, Jan Boller, or Marko Raguz," SorereAustria wrote.

LASK are eighth in the Austria Football Bundesliga and if they can remain in this position, the club would get a spot in the qualifiers for Conference League next season.

This season, LASK reached the Conference League round of 16 and were eliminated by Czech club Slavia Prague. LASK often use the 4-2-3-1 formation, giving Hai the chance to play as one of three attacking midfielders. He will have to compete with many Austrians, along with Japan’s Keito Nakamura and South Korea’s Hong Huyn-seok.

If there are no big changes, Hai and his crew will go to Germany then Austria to complete a medical check and visit the club's facilities before signing a three-year contract with LASK.