What kind of football player is handsome?

Chapter 15 Three Idiots Cause Trouble in Bollywood! A First Team's Travelogue from Carrington

"Lord Fur, Lord Fur, you mustn't!"

In the youth training coach's office, Brian was pacing back and forth anxiously.

But in his seat sat Ferguson, calm and collected, his fingers clasped together.

The reason was that he saw that Ferguson's training list did not include a child.

Instead, there are three.

"My mind is made up. These three kids are all very talented, and it won't be too difficult for them to continue playing in the Youth Super League. It's time for them to train at a higher level."

Ferguson's authority in Carrington was almost on par with that of Sarrikin in Handon. Unless influenced by a higher level of will, Ferguson's word was law here, and everything would follow his will.

Brian could only manage a wry smile.

The three-horse chariot can barely run even with one horse missing.

Losing two drivers has created a major problem.

The lord has taken all three carriages, and even removed the wheels while he was at it.

"They actually..."

Ferguson presented the facts and reasoned with them: "Manchester United U18 has won all but one of their last two months, except for the first round draw against Liverpool. Leaving aside that FA Youth Cup match, in seven rounds of the Chinese Youth Super League, Lingard has 4 goals and 6 assists in 7 games, Pogba has 3 goals and 9 assists in 6 games... Liu has even scored 17 goals in 7 league games. Tell me, with such performances, letting them play in youth team matches is like putting them in a greenhouse and stifling their talent, isn't it?"

Brian made one last attempt.

"Well, Liu is one thing, but Lingard and Pogba's assists are almost all from Liu Yi! Even if we take those assists out of the picture, there are still many areas where we can improve."

Sir Alex Ferguson adjusted his glasses and gave a wicked smile: "So they need my personal guidance. You've had a tough time these past few days, Brian."

Brian's vision went black.

He now understood why Solskjaer had quit after only two years.

Because promising talents were quickly eliminated by the first team as soon as they showed promise.

But there's no way around it; that's the purpose of the youth team.

※※※

Manchester United's official website: "Lingard, Pogba, and Liu Yi will begin training with the first team!"

The news quickly appeared in newspapers and spread like wildfire on Chinese sports portals.

[Wow, that's amazing! Didn't this guy just join Manchester United's youth academy three months ago? How did he develop so quickly?]

Dude, China Telecom 3G is really fast! Haven't you been following the Manchester United youth teams' performance? Liu Yi is going crazy in the youth team!

[To the person upstairs, I think you're not following Manchester United's youth teams, but rather a fan of the "Happy Beans" (a derogatory term for a group of young players).]

[Hehe, the third floor figured it out! The Manchester United U18 match was so much fun! Just blindly bet on over, over, over, and you're done!]

[Don't get too excited, everyone. This is just training with the first team. It doesn't mean he'll definitely stay and sign a professional contract with Manchester United. We still need to see how he performs in training matches. Judging from our Xiao Dong's performance, he still has a way to go...]

Lingard and Pogba were also surprised to be included in the team training roster.

According to Coach Brian, they benefited from the influence of their older brother, Liu Yi.

Lingard: "Damn, bro, now that you're in the first team, you have to keep looking after us! We'll feed you like crazy!"

Pogba: "Me too!"

A million mud horses galloped through Liu Yi's mind.

You mean I should toy with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic like I toyed with Michael Keane?!

Then I should just go and sit at the same table with Messi and Ronaldo.

10 Month 23 Day!

It was the first day of formal training with the first team.

A major event happened at Manchester United in the last two days.

Star player Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson have fallen out, with Rooney publicly stating that he will not renew his contract with Manchester United and will seek a transfer.

Sir Alex Ferguson didn't tolerate it and directly reprimanded Rooney for his poor attitude towards training.

Lu Xiaopang is still at his peak, belonging to the second tier below Messi and Ronaldo. Once he enters the market, it will inevitably lead to a fierce battle for him.

The ever-sensational Mirror went even further, claiming that Ferguson's boots flew into Beckham's eye socket, Lee Sharpe was caught cheating on by the old man, McGrath was kicked out of the club because of the Prohibition Act, and there were also Van Nistelrooy, Stam, Schmeichel, and now Rooney. Clearly, not all players are into Ferguson's patriarchal "godfather" style.

Unexpectedly, things took a dramatic turn just one day later.

Rooney successfully got a pay raise and renewed his contract, the mentor and disciple reconciled, and even took a classic photo together.

Ferguson kept his "treasure," while Rooney successfully landed a high-paying contract.

Only the Glazer brothers realized something was wrong when they made the payment.

So you and your apprentice are putting on a show to play me, huh?

In short, renewing Rooney's contract is a good thing, and the whole team is immersed in a joyful atmosphere.

However, the situation is not as calm as it appears on the surface.

Those Manchester United players who were key members of Rooney's team, such as Giggs and Paul Scholes, who are nearing the end of their careers, must have their own thoughts as they watch their younger brother, who is at the peak of his career, receive a big contract. (1)

Similarly, Liu Yi also felt that Rooney's contract renewal was not a good thing for him.

If Rooney leaves, a huge vacuum will be left in the attacking third, which will greatly increase his chances of rising to prominence and taking the lead.

However, Manchester United, with its deep pockets, might bring in a new striker by then; who knows?

"I am Mike Perrin, the assistant coach in charge of the day-to-day management of the players. You can call me Mike, or Mike the Elder. I have been here since my playing days, and all in all, I have been with Manchester United for twenty years."

Liu Yi noticed that the coaches and legends he came into contact with always liked to emphasize two points.

First: I played for Manchester United during my playing career.

Second: I spent a total of N years at Manchester United.

The higher the number represented by N, the straighter the coach/legend's neck will be.

Perhaps this is the mysterious and elusive concept of DNA.

The three boys followed Mike through the huge corridor, carefully avoiding the giant Red Devils logo on the carpet, and arrived at the area where the first team was active.

"Go to the locker room to change, then follow the instructions and prepare to begin today's training!"

Because it was the first day, the three arrived very early, and there were no other players in the locker room when they opened the door.

In a secluded corner, the three lockers stood side by side, none of them bearing numbers.

However, the equipment and training clothes have already been placed.

Lingard and Pogba stood on the left and right, respectively, with Liu Yi's locker in the middle, giving the impression of being left and right protectors.

As the three of them changed their clothes, they cautiously looked around the dressing room.

Players gradually entered the locker room.

Fletcher, Valencia, Hernandez, Vidic...

Lingard whispered the names of those star players, his eyes filled with longing.

Then, Lavel Morrison swaggered in.

"That doesn't count."

Lingard stopped reading out the names of the players.

Morrison clearly saw the three brothers in the corner and walked over with an air of indifference.

"Hey, you three have joined the first team too. Do you need me, your 'senior,' to introduce you to the superstars here?"

Lingard and Pogba chuckled awkwardly. They figured they'd run into each other all the time, so they might as well just pretend he didn't exist.

Liu Yi, who had clashed with Morrison before, didn't buy it and retorted sarcastically.

"Oh, so you, this 'senior,' have you played for the first team? Or have you received a formal contract?"

Morrison's face darkened: "The League Cup is coming soon, I'll have a chance to play, and the contract won't be far off."

"Oh, so not yet. We all start from the same point, what are you pretending for?"

Morrison felt his blood rushing to his head, and he really wanted to rush up and punch Liu Yi a couple of times. However, the scene of his previous attack being easily dodged and him being pushed to the ground was still vivid in his mind. He dared not make any rash moves and could only continue to utter harsh words.

"I nutmegged Vidic three times in my first training session. You'd better show me the performance and ability that matches mine."

Liu Yi was shocked.

Morrison should write a book called "The Art of Speaking".

Having lived two lives, he had seen many oddballs, but this was the first time he had ever encountered someone with such low emotional intelligence.

Hey buddy, why don't you turn around and take a look?

Vidic is sitting right behind you.

At this moment, the Serbian center-back's eyes were deadly.

A 1.9-meter-tall, burly man from the former Yugoslavia with triad connections can really make you a ginseng root if you stick your head in the ground.

The atmosphere here gradually became tense.

On the other side of the locker room.

Rooney scratched his head, rummaging through the locker for something.

"Hey, did anyone see the charging cable I plugged into the wall?!"

Ferdinand rubbed his chin: "Now that you mention it, it seems I'm missing a pair of sneakers..."

(1) Why bring up Rooney's contract renewal? First, it's necessary for the plot. Second, this matter only lasted three days from Rooney's pressure to the successful renewal, but its impact continued into the post-Ferguson era. It disrupted Manchester United's wage structure to some extent. However, what completely destroyed Manchester United's wage system was the incredible move of signing Sanchez with a weekly wage of £56. So I can understand why Manchester United fans are cursing Old Feng, who is known as "San Dezi".