Football: I am only 16 years old, and you want me to retire and make a comeback?

Chapter 420 Tang Ye's Daydream: The Lazy Yet Competitive Manchester United Midfielder

7 month 15 day.

Tang Ye returned to Manchester after arriving from Italy.

Between the two finalists, France and Croatia, Manchester United only had Martial as their Frenchman, and Martial was not selected for the French national team. Therefore, when Tang Ye returned, all his teammates were already in place.

Instead of returning to the lounge, Tang Ye went straight to the cafeteria with his backpack on, casually tossing it aside at the cafeteria entrance.

"It's so hot, damn it..."

"Hey, Tom!"

Just as Mata was about to leave the cafeteria, he ran into Tang Ye as he entered.

Mata called out, and the Manchester United players in the cafeteria all turned their heads to look.

"Please, Tom!"

Ashley Young raised both hands: "Didn't you say you wouldn't be back until the afternoon?"

"Um, I originally planned to go home and get some sleep first, but I've already had enough sleep on the plane, so I came straight here."

Tang Ye said, and sat down at the table with the most teammates. Rashford gave him his seat and then gave him a big hug.

For the best Tom!

I went to watch your match live.

Alai suddenly spoke, and Tang Ye was taken aback.

"Huh? Which one?"

"It was the game against Brazil. I was in the stands below the presidential box. I even waved to you when you came out of the players' tunnel, but you didn't see me."

Although Ivory Coast failed to qualify for the World Cup finals, Halle, a football enthusiast, still went to the World Cup venue.

"Um, Sebastian, my question!"

Tang Ye patted Ale on the shoulder: "But I was thinking about how to play against Brazil, so I didn't hear what you said."

Tang Ye feels very guilty now that his friend greeted him but he mistakenly ignored him.

"Sebastian, you should have texted me after the game."

Tang Ye said, and Alai shrugged: "I was going to post it, but it didn't feel right. Because... well, you weren't very happy after the match."

Sorry, Tom.

"Oh, it's nothing, it's been so long, I don't think about the World Cup anymore."

Tang Ye said, "I was quite upset at the time, but I'm okay now. There's really nothing we can do about losing to Brazil; they're just too much of a match for us."

"But you played really well."

Rashford added, "He's completely dragging the team forward."

But it didn't work.

Tang Ye leaned back in his chair and noticed some fries in Rashford's plate. He grabbed some and popped them into his mouth. "Hey, aren't you going to add some ketchup or something? But the plain ones are okay too. I usually eat half plain and half with ketchup."

"Marcus, you and Yang almost made it to the finals, didn't you?"

Tang Ye suddenly spoke up, and Rashford shrugged, "They conceded a last-minute winner. I don't even know what to say. Why didn't I come on in the first half?"

"Ohohoh!!!"

The Manchester United players started to heckle, and Tang Ye laughed loudly: "Marcus, you have a problem with the coach, huh? Haha!"

Rashford took the ketchup Rodri had handed to Tang Ye and then handed it to him: "But I really didn't play well. I feel like I could have played better if I had started, but I can't compete with Sterling. I don't have his dribbling skills."

"But your free kicks are amazing!"

Tang Ye said, "Forget it, let's not talk about the World Cup anymore."

Tang Ye seemed hungry and continued eating his fries. Just then, Lingard suddenly asked, "Tom, is it true that Ronaldo will be swapped with you?"

Tang Ye raised his head, and his teammates were all looking at him.

"Well"

Do you want Ronaldo to come?

"No, that won't do!"

Rodri shouted out, "That guy almost wiped us out during the World Cup!"

"Hahaha"

Rodri was referring, of course, to the group stage match between Portugal and Spain, where former Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick to secure a last-minute equalizer against Spain.

"Rhodes, you should have talked to the coach and gone up earlier."

Tang Ye and Rodri said.

"Ronaldo is really amazing, wow, he scored 3 goals in one game!"

So, will you leave?

Mata pressed further, to which Tang Ye simply shrugged: "I won't leave. Real Madrid's midfield is very solid now; my presence wouldn't make a difference. Besides..."

Real Madrid already has a stable midfield, which is why Tang Ye is unwilling to go there.

Moreover, with Ronaldo gone, the attacking duo of Benzema and the frequently injured Bale held no appeal for Tang Ye.

Of course, this is not the main reason.

The main reason is.

"I told the reporters we're going to beat Manchester City next season, so I definitely can't just quit halfway through."

"Hahaha"

……

Manchester Evening News – Despite playing three fewer games, Tom is still the assist king of this World Cup. If the Chinese team persists through another round of knockout matches, the best rookie may not be Mbappe.
According to The TA, Ten Hag wants to raise the transfer fee needed to buy Dembele by selling Martial, but Manchester United needs to ensure that Barcelona is willing to make a deal for Dembele first.

TA is arguably the most authoritative football newspaper, and its information is generally accurate.

Ten Hag wants to sell Martial to buy Dembele, but he has encountered two problems in this matter.

1. It is still unclear what Martial's potential is. Martial's performance last season was not good, which means that the Frenchman's price in this summer transfer window is destined to be low. If Martial is sold at a low price and then performs well, Manchester United will suffer a huge loss.

2. Even if Barcelona gets enough money from selling Martial, they may still not let Dembele go.

Even before Ten Hag bought De Jong, the Barcelona president said that unless Manchester United were willing to offer Tom as a bargaining chip, Dembele was absolutely not for sale.

……

In the afternoon, since he had just returned, Tang Ye did not rush to participate in the new season training camp, but went back to his apartment to rest and adjust to the time difference.

Tomorrow afternoon, Tang Ye will officially begin the club's training camp for the new season!

While news about transfers in the top five European leagues was flying around, Tang Ye lay in bed fast asleep.

Standing on a grassy field, Tang Ye looked left and right.

This is……

Samara Arena!
Tang Ye knew exactly where he was standing.

This is where they lost to Brazil!

Tang Ye didn't know why he had returned here, but he found that there was no one in the stands of the stadium.

I guess it's because the World Cup is over and all the fans have left.

I walked slowly onto the court.

"Tom!"

"My grass!"

Tang Ye was startled and quickly turned around.

What lies before me is...

Cristiano Ronaldo wearing the number 7 jersey for Portugal!
"Huh? Cristiano, you..."

Tang Ye didn't know why Ronaldo was there, but Ronaldo's presence gave him a sense of reassurance.

After all, such a large stadium would be terrifying if Tom were the only one there.

Cristiano Ronaldo took a few steps forward, gradually approaching Tang Ye, and said as he walked, "Are you satisfied with being eliminated in the round of 16?"

"Uh, Cristiano? I... I'm alright."

"Are you willing to accept this? But I'm not!"

Cristiano Ronaldo's expression was somewhat terrifying, which startled Tang Ye so much that he unconsciously backed away.

What's going on, Cristiano? What are you doing?!
"Why were we eliminated in the round of 16? Was it because I wasn't good enough? Was it because I played badly?"

"..."

Tang Ye didn't dare to speak.

"Let me ask you this: in a 4-4-2 formation, there are only two strikers. So, do I have to pass the ball to the other striker? If I pass the ball to him, does that mean I can't get into the penalty area? Why does Gonzalo Guerrero keep shooting wide after receiving the ball from me?"

Is it because I'm not good enough?

"Then let me ask you, do you even consider Guerrero human? With so many chances, if he'd just scored one, we wouldn't have lost, right? And I'm the captain, so I can't just yell at him."

amount……

Tang Ye neither nodded nor shook his head.

But Cristiano Ronaldo's words made a lot of sense: "Yes, that's true. If your teammates had played better, Cristiano, you could have advanced. I was also optimistic about Portugal before the match."

"And what's this Adrian Silva guy? Me, a striker worth 1 million euros, paired with that kind of midfielder? Do you think I'm comfortable playing like that? What kind of teammates do I have at club level and national team level?"

Cristiano Ronaldo shrugged, looking extremely angry.

Tang Ye wanted to say "Go Ronaldo in 4 years!" but then he thought about how Ronaldo would be 37 in 4 years, so he didn't say anything.

"If I give it my all but still can't advance, then I ask you, am I content with that? Do you think I am content?"

"No, I'm not reconciled..."

Tang Ye continued to retreat.

Are you willing to accept that?

"me……"

Tang Ye is actually alright.

Although he wanted to advance, he could see the gap between his team and Brazil. The difference in strength between Portugal and Uruguay was small, but the gap between China and Brazil was enormous.

"Actually, it's alright. After all, I gave it my all, and then..."

"You gave it your all?"

Tang Ye said, but was immediately interrupted by Ronaldo.

"Then let me ask you, the system's daily tasks reward 3-10 comeback points every day. Have you been doing those tasks every day? Are you going all out?"

"I, I... what?!"

Tang Ye didn't retreat any further; he was completely stunned.

If we're not brothers, how did you know I opened something?
Doesn't this seem a bit off?
"Then let me ask you this: if you already had +4 chicken breast before the World Cup, shouldn't you be focusing on getting fit?"

Tang Ye didn't know why Ronaldo knew him so well.

He now only feels the fear of being seen through!

Ronaldo continues to close the gap.

"Then let me ask you, didn't Ten Hach say you needed to work on your physique, that your physique is currently your biggest weakness, and that you could quickly become stronger by training? But have you trained?"

"Look in my eye!"

!

Cristiano Ronaldo's ferocious expression startled Tang Ye so much that he fell to the ground.

"Get your body up there. Do you think those Brazilian midfielders can beat you? Aren't you a million times better than Coutinho or Paulinho?"

Tang Ye: ...

"Think about why you lost. If you hadn't been knocked down so many times, would Brazil's defense have been able to hold on? Brazil is so weak this year and you still lost. And you call yourself the world's best midfielder? Has the world's best midfielder been preparing with all his might?"

Tang Ye: ...

"Knowing that the World Cup is in June, they were still practicing penalty kicks in January and February. They practiced penalty kicks during training, and then they practiced penalty kicks again when they went home to play games."

Cristiano Ronaldo squatted down and looked into the eyes of Tang Ye, who was sitting on the grass in front of him.

"Lazy and competitive, I don't know why these two things would happen to the same person."

Tell me!

Tell me why!

Seeing that Ronaldo was about to open his mouth and eat him up, Tang Ye was so startled that he sat up on the spot.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

I was already drenched in sweat.

Cristiano Ronaldo in front of me...

In front of me is a mechanical keyboard that is still glowing.

"Forehead……"

Ok.

Tang Ye now understands why Ronaldo knows so many of his secrets.

It was just a dream again...

Covered in sweat, Tang Ye decided not to sleep. He went downstairs and wiped his body with a towel. After wiping himself, he sat in a chair and pondered.

"Look in my eyes!"

The words of my Manchester United predecessor in my dream still linger in my mind.

Lazy yet competitive?

GGBond is clearly a very good person, so why was he scolded like that by Cristiano?

But think about it carefully.

Cristiano Ronaldo did put in a lot of effort, and there was nothing he could do about falling in the round of 16.

But what about Tang Ye's side?

If you train your physical strength to 90+, your stamina to 90+, your speed to 90+, and your passing to 90, then Brazil's three midfielders will be nothing more than GGBond's toys.

2:5 was the score achieved by the Chinese team, but it was clearly not the best score the Chinese team could achieve against Brazil.

Because Tang Ye hasn't been focusing on improving his attributes in the past few seasons.

It's all thanks to the system's rewards and the team's passive improvement!

Swish-!
Tang Ye opened the cabinet, took out a handful of chewing gum, tore off all the wrappers, and put it in his mouth, hoping it would alleviate his current terrible state.

But it was unsuccessful.

Lazy yet competitive.

Tom was severely criticized by his Manchester United predecessors.

But is that statement false?

It does not seem.

……

Romano: Here We Go! Cristiano Ronaldo has transferred to Juventus on a four-year contract for a fee of €100 million, with a possible fluctuation of €10 million.

"This is the most shocking transfer news of the summer. Ronaldo is confirmed to leave Real Madrid because negotiations between Real Madrid and Manchester United have broken down," Romano said to the camera.

Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Real Madrid to join Juventus caused quite a stir in the global football world.

When Cristiano Ronaldo won his first Ballon d'Or at Real Madrid, fans even thought the Portuguese player would stay at Real Madrid until he retired.

However, this summer, the Ballon d'Or winner is set to travel to Italy.

Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer triggered a series of chain reactions, as Barcelona temporarily halted their aggressive pursuit of Tang Ye because Real Madrid was missing a key player.

With the severing of ties with Barcelona, ​​Manchester United's transfer rumors instantly decreased by more than half, and reporters' attention shifted to the team's training camp.

On the afternoon of the second day after Tang Ye arrived in Manchester, reporters photographed the Manchester United number 10 appearing on the training ground.

According to Dongqiudi, Manchester United will travel to the United States on July 19 for pre-season training. Tang Ye has already confirmed his return to the team to resume training.

Manchester United fans are quite looking forward to the preseason friendlies.

In the pre-season friendlies, Manchester United will face four giants: AC Milan, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich. These four matches will undoubtedly test Manchester United's form for the new season.

What kind of performance can the midfield trio of Tang Ye, Rodri, and De Jong deliver in the Premier League?
Meanwhile, at Manchester United's training ground, the players finished their afternoon training session.

"I told you, if we could bring Frankie over, our midfield progression would be much better."

In the office, Ten Hach leaned back in his chair, looking quite relaxed.

After Tang Ye returned, Manchester United played a simple intra-squad friendly match. Although the players hadn't played together for several months, the friendly match was more effective than expected.

Ten Hach and van der Gach are both very happy!
dong dong!

The office door suddenly opened, and Ten Hach and Van der Gach exchanged a glance: "Come in!"

The visitor was Tang Ye.

"Mr. Eric, Mr. Michel"

Tang Ye greeted the two coaches, and Ten Hag gestured for Tang Ye to sit down on the sofa. Tang Ye did not refuse and sat down next to Van der Gaghe, while also pinching the shoulder of the Manchester United assistant coach.

"Oh!"

"Ha ha"

"Um, Mr. Eric, I just wanted to ask, given the current situation, isn't the best way for me to improve my physical fitness?"

Yes, of course.

Ten Hag answered quickly, while Van der Gach suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, Tom, I have to tell you, Eric and I started talking about this last season, meaning we'll be increasing the intensity of your physical training this season."

"It might be a little tiring, but I hope you won't refuse, because improving your physical condition will be a great help to you right now."

As he spoke, Van der Gach reached for his notebook on the table to show Tang Ye the plan he and the strength and conditioning coach had devised together.

"Look at Tom, you train 20-25% more per week than other players. If you keep doing this, you'll see noticeable results in 3 months, and your muscles will be huge after 2 seasons."

Van der Gach placed the notebook on his lap and gestured to Tang Ye with his hand: "It's probably at least 10% bigger than your current muscles! The numbers may not seem high, but the difference is very obvious to the eye."

"Um……"

Tang Ye nodded slightly.

After hesitating for a while, he finally asked van der Gach a question.

"What if the training volume is higher? Will it shorten the time?"

"More training?"

Van der Gach was somewhat surprised that Tang Ye would ask such a question.

"Of course it's possible, but we still have matches to play, and we want to ensure you're at your best during those matches, so 25% extra training is the limit."

“Um, Mr. Michel, I mean… before the start of the season, right? There are still 20 days left, aren’t there?”

Tang Ye gestured with both hands: "It means reducing passing and shooting training, and focusing on physical training for 20 days."

"hiss……"

Van der Gach and Ten Hach exchanged a glance: "Hey, what you're saying seems plausible."

Ten Hag nodded: "So you mean we'll assign you a strength and conditioning coach to work on your weaknesses separately, and you won't be participating in team training for the time being, is that right?"

Tang Ye's plan was good, but it had one condition: he needed to be willing to make sacrifices.

After all, physical training is much more tiring than training camp with a ball.

"That's what I mean, Mr. Eric."

"but……"

Tang Ye looked up: "I don't need the club to find me a coach, I've already made arrangements."

“I’ll go to America with you, but while you’re playing your warm-up matches, I’ll practice my own things. Hmm… Mr. Eric, if you think that’s appropriate.”

"I don't think I need too much time to integrate. If there has to be a training camp, I can come back when we play Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. I'll stay in Los Angeles; it's quick to fly anywhere."

……

(End of this chapter)