Chapter 421: New Season Friendlies Kick Off, The 1.7 Billion Euro Manchester United Midfielder

The Sun—Reporters photographed Manchester United players preparing at the airport to depart for the United States, with Tom among them.

"Although he just returned to base, Tom chose to follow the team to the United States; barring any surprises, fans in America will get to see Tom perform," commented a Sun reporter, attaching a photo of Tang Ye standing dazed at the airport.

【American fans are thrilled, damn it, so why not come play in China?】

【I'm protesting! Is there any organizer willing to spend some money to bring Manchester United over?】

【Probably by next summer; with Tang Ye plus Manchester United, every match would be a sellout. Touring a few provincial capitals would directly bank one 'small goal' (100 million).】

【Tour every provincial capital in China? Then Manchester United wouldn't need to play the new season; they could just play 34 rounds of friendlies first.】

【Don't dismiss it; it's actually feasible. One match every two days, leading right into the new Premier League season.】

Chinese fans have already started offering strategies to Manchester United's management, ready to teach the club how to make money during the off-season.

Meanwhile, the Manchester United players were already en route to the United States.

"Erik, I still feel this won't work; without ball-in-play training, what if he can't find his match fitness?"

In the two front seats, two Manchester United coaches began chatting.

"Don't you believe in Tom's ability with the ball?"

Ten Hag spread his hands: "The internet has already said it: when it comes to passing, he has passing; when it comes to physique, he has passing. Tom's ability with the ball is already number one in the world, okay?"

While others called Tang Ye the world's best midfielder, Ten Hag directly removed the word representing "midfielder."

"This... but what about integration?"

Fan Fan Dejiahe pressed further, and Ten Hag answered easily.

"The team's tactics were formulated around him; as long as Tom's technical characteristics don't change, isn't integration a very simple matter?"

"He's already 19; how could his technical characteristics possibly change?"

"..."

Realizing he couldn't win the argument against Ten Hag, Fan Fan Dejiahe could only remain silent.

Behind them, Tang Ye lay reclined in his chair.

Although his eyes were closed, Tang Ye was not sleeping.

He was thinking.

He had heard that American coaches were extremely fierce, and failing to complete tasks would result in a severe scolding.

After reading some netizens' summaries of American sports coaches online, Tang Ye suddenly felt a bit regretful.

But he had already made bold claims; quitting halfway through would truly be an extremely embarrassing affair.

The itinerary was already set; after landing in Arizona with his teammates, Tang Ye immediately boarded a separate plane to California, preparing to undertake his two-phase physical training mission in Los Angeles.

Dongqiu Di Hot Discussion: Local Manchester United fans waited at the hotel for autographs, but Tang Ye was not on the team bus.

【Hm? Where has my GGBond run off to?】

【Does he have acquaintances in the US?】

【He wouldn't have gone to find James, would he? Didn't they film a Cola commercial together?】

【James isn't f***ing here, you know.】

【Probably went on a date with his girlfriend, but it doesn't matter anyway; if he had to play against a Mexican team, then my Tang Tang Qiuwang would have no dignity left.】

Sports Illustrated—Manchester United players arrived at a hotel near the University of Phoenix Stadium, preparing for a friendly match against Club América of Mexico on the 20th, New York time. According to feedback from fans on site, Manchester United star Tom seemed to separate from the team immediately after landing; from this, it appears highly probable he will not feature in the first friendly match.

Besides Manchester United, Barcelona also began their new season's friendlies, but before the new season started, the officials released a noteworthy announcement.

Barcelona Official: Team midfielder Iniesta has joined Japan's Vissel Kobe on a free transfer.

Iniesta, who announced his retirement from the national team after the World Cup, ultimately left Barcelona, where he had stayed for nearly 20 years.

After Iniesta's departure, local Barcelona fans gathered at Montjuïc Stadium to express their demands to the club.

"Tom!", "Tom is Barcelona's midfield solution!", "We want to see Tom and Messi collaborate!"—these were the contents written on the signs held by the fans.

However, the Barcelona hierarchy made no response whatsoever to the fans' protest.

Barcelona was actually quite helpless.

Manchester United was unwilling to sell, and Tang Ye himself had no intention of leaving.

So what could Barcelona possibly do?

Buying only De Jong was definitely not enough; Manchester United fans awaited their second signing of the Piggy Xia Chuang.

But all they received was news of players being sold.

Ten Hag wanted Martial to leave, but he didn't say whom he wanted to buy.

Instead, on the Mancheng side, the Man City Blue Moon completed the signing of Mahrez for a price of 67.8 million euros.

Mancheng, who achieved 100 points in the league last season, added another major attacking player.

Did they seem intent on defending their Premier League title?

Time arrived for the day of the friendly between Manchester United and Club América; unsurprisingly, Tang Ye, who had not stayed at the hotel, was not included in the match squad.

The fans were somewhat disappointed.

But considering América was indeed not a formidable team, and this friendly held little tactical value, it didn't really matter.

Meanwhile, in El Segundo, Los Angeles, at the Lakers training base.

July is the NBA off-season, and the gates of the Lakers base were tightly shut.

But this did not mean there were no players inside the base; young players eager to improve often chose to add extra training sessions for themselves during the off-season.

"Damn, you guys are really tall."

In the cafeteria, Tang Ye sat opposite Ingram and Kuzma; these two players, wearing Lakers training kits, both stood over two meters tall.

In comparison, Tang Ye, who wasn't even 1.8 meters tall, appeared somewhat awkward there.

"Haha, Tom, come play basketball later; I can teach you how to dunk."

Ingram said, then, under Tang Ye's gaze, devoured a large chunk of sandwich.

Ingram hadn't finished everything on his plate yet, but he had already eaten a day's worth of food for Tang Ye.

"Then forget it; my program is different from yours, so we won't train together. We can hang out after training ends, but I can't dunk—the rim is too high for me."

Tang Ye jumped up from his chair, bid farewell to the two Lakers players, and headed to the gym.

American physical training is the most advanced; this was why he proposed training in the US, and his friendship with James provided the convenience.

After some communication, Tang Ye secured the right to train at the Lakers' facility for free, with his only cost being the overtime pay for four Lakers fitness coaches and two rehabilitation specialists.

Rubbing his hands together as he stepped into the gym, Tang Ye could already imagine what he would look like after becoming stronger.

Oh, right.

Remembering he still had over 6,000 unused Counterattack Points, Tang Ye quickly opened his system.

【Ronaldo's Chicken Breast +7 → Ronaldo's Chicken Breast +8】

【Kanter's Hot Chocolate Milk +4 → Kanter's Hot Chocolate Milk +5】

Spending 5,000 Counterattack Points, Tang Ye's original balance of over 20,000 dropped directly to just over 1,000, but this was absolutely worth it.

The +8 Chicken Breast would be used for physical training, combined with the 【Unparalleled】 physical talent for a high-yield workout.

Then there was the +5 level Hot Chocolate Milk; Tang Ye would use this item for rapid recovery.

Although there were less than twenty days of training time, Tang Ye believed that with the help of these two items and his physical talent, he could achieve results exceeding forty days of effort.

Of course!

Tang Ye shook his fist.

Most important of all was his own determination!

Although things in dreams were fake, Tang Ye truly did not wish to be scolded again by the Manchester United seniors from his dream!

That was not a good feeling!

……

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: In the friendly, Manchester United's substitute lineup drew 2:2 with Club América, preparing to depart for Santa Clara for the second friendly.

【……】

"Duang!"

"Duang!"

"……"

The sound of weight plates clashing against the barbell echoed through the gym.

【Physical Confrontation: 82 → 83】

【Stamina: 74 → 75】

Check Dongqiu Di Hot Discussion: What's going on? According to feedback from on-site reporters and fans, Tang Ye still has not appeared with the Manchester United squad.

He didn't show up for the match against Club América; judging by this trend, he likely won't play against the San Jose Earthquakes either.

However, considering Tang Ye is a star player, it is understandable that he might skip these two friendlies.

He will appear when they play AC Milan!

Diario Sport — Manchester United players arrive in Los Angeles to prepare for the International Champions Cup; Tom still has not appeared with the squad.

Tang Ye still hasn't shown up; looking at this, he probably isn't even planning to play against AC Milan.

The International Champions Cup is, after all, a friendly in nature, so not participating is acceptable, but fans now have an unresolved question.

GGBond, where have you gone?

Reporters in the US and Europe cannot find him; fans can only hope The Sun will step up at this moment.

However, reporters from The Sun also failed to locate Tang Ye.

They could only confirm that when the Manchester United players first arrived in the US, Tang Ye transferred his flight to Los Angeles.

Was he going to meet his teammates in Los Angeles?

Of course not, because when Manchester United trained at the Los Angeles Sports Center, fans did not see Tang Ye anywhere.

……

Time moved to July 25, the tenth day after the World Cup ended, and the German Transfer Market updated the latest player valuation data for the new season.

As the best rookie of this World Cup, Mbappé landed on the homepage of the German Transfer Market.

He was one of the players whose value rose fastest during this World Cup, jumping directly from 120 million euros to 150 million euros, making him arguably the biggest winner of the tournament.

Then there was Salah, though Salah relied mainly on his excellent club performance; his latest valuation was also 150 million euros.

Global Football Player Valuation Ranking (2018.7.25):

1. Messi (Barcelona/Argentina), 180 million euros.

1. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain/Brazil), 180 million euros.

3. Tang Ye (Manchester United/China), 170 million euros.

4. Salah (Liwupu/Egypt), 150 million euros.

4. Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain/France), 150 million euros.

4. Kane (Tottenham/England), 150 million euros.

After the World Cup, Salah, Mbappé, and Kane all reached the ultra-high valuation of 150 million euros, tying for fourth place globally.

Tang Ye, with his latest valuation of 170 million euros, successfully suppressed all three of them and remained the only midfielder among the top eight in value.

A midfielder valued at 170 million euros arguably holds far more weight than two forwards valued at 180 million euros.

But now there is a problem.

Where has Manchester United's 170-million-euro midfielder gone?

……

In the Douyin livestream room, Tang Tang Zhengxiong was fishing in some unknown sea area.

He hadn't caught a single fish after half a day, yet his livestream room still had a full 100,000 people lurking.

【Brother Tang Zhengxiong, what do you have to say about your son going missing?】

【GG Tang Zhengxiong, please help find my GGBond.】

【Still fishing? Your son went missing the moment he landed.】

【What if Tang Ye gets hooked up by Tang Tang Zhengxiong in a moment?】

【Streamer, are you there? Can you check the chat?】

Tang Tang Zhengxiong reeled in his fishing rod, swapped for fresh bait, cast it back out, and finally picked up his phone.

Seeing Tang Tang Zhengxiong looking at his phone, the fans went crazy sending barrage comments.

"No, don't panic, how could he possibly be missing?"

"He has his own things to deal with; nothing will happen, nothing will happen."

【Are you sure nothing's wrong? Then tell us, what is my GGBond doing right now?】

"What is Tang Ye doing?"

Tang Tang Zhengxiong frowned: "I don't know what he's doing either, but I know for certain he's fine right now. He's already 19; how could something happen to him so easily?"

Fans: 6

……

Manchester United Official: Tang Ye is in good health and will return to the team before the new season begins. It is currently uncertain whether the player will participate in the upcoming International Champions Cup matches.

Recently, the internet was flooded with news about Tang Ye's disappearance, and Manchester United official quickly issued a response.

But Manchester United was also quite tricky; in their announcement, they simply refused to say what Tang Ye was doing.

Lakers Facility.

Height: 1.80 meters.

Weight: 70.5 kg.

Tang Ye saw his height and weight data displayed on the instrument.

After several months of growth, his height had finally broken through the 1.80-meter barrier, and his weight had also reached 70 kg.

His training goal at the Lakers facility was to increase his body weight to above 72 kg.

Training was one part; diet was another.

"Hah!"

Boom!

Noise came from the gym next door, and Tang Ye jogged over.

Ingram stood in front of the barbell rack; on the rack behind him were the barbells he had used.

Tang Ye looked with his eyes and made a judgment based on the size of the weight plates.

The weight on one side should be around 60 kg.

That was still acceptable; Tang Ye could barely lift that weight too.

Then, under Tang Ye's gaze, Ingram lifted the barbell again.

Ingram's left foot hung suspended in the air.

Tang Ye: ……

"Hah!"

Exploding upward, after three consecutive reps, Ingram completed the training for his other leg.

"Wow."

Tang Ye applauded Ingram, then looked at the coach nearby: "Should I try this too? It looks like it could increase strength."

The physical conditioning coach shook his head: "Single-leg exercises are mainly for improving vertical jump; Tom, you don't really need this."

After speaking, the coach led Tang Ye to the barbell rack next to Ingram's.

While the coach adjusted the weight plates, Tang Ye started chatting with Ingram.

"Haha, thanks. During the off-season, I usually do heavier strength training because there's a long period available for rest,"

Ingram said.

The iron bar seemed a bit hard; Ingram was rubbing his shoulder.

"Damn, that's truly impressive. If I had strength like yours, I could knock away every Premier League defender."

Tang Ye said.

The most outrageous part was that he felt Ingram was still growing, so the weight Ingram was lifting now wasn't even his maximum.

"Haha, Tom, you could really stay here with us a bit longer,"

Ingram suggested, sitting on the stool in front of Tang Ye.

Tang Ye was a good person and pleasant to talk to, so Ingram really enjoyed the feeling of training together with him.

Although what they trained was completely different, of course.

"That won't work; if I don't go back before the season starts, the fans will worry,"

Tang Ye said, then moved beneath the barbell rack under the coach's arrangement.

"Go for it, Tom."

Ingram gave a thumbs-up, then walked over to spot Tang Ye alongside the coach.

"This weight is too easy; no need for encouragement, just play around with it."

Hiss!

Taking a deep breath, Tang Ye lifted the barbell.

The next second, his legs went soft.

"Holy shit!"

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Ingram moved quickly, cupping the barbell on Tang Ye's shoulders with both hands and successfully steadying his body.

"Oh, Tom! Are you sure you don't need encouragement?"

"My bad, my bad, it's fine, just watch me work."

……

Duang!

Duang!

The Sun, Tom Disappearance Special Task Force—Currently, no reporters have reported spotting Tom, but fans discovered that on the evening of July 27, US time, Tom liked a post by Lakers star James and followed Ingram, Kuzma, and Hart on Instagram.

"Tom transferred to Los Angeles, so current clues point to the Lakers; according to reporters' inference, he might be conducting commercial endorsement shoots with NBA stars."

【Damn, so my GGBond is with James? Could GGBond have been locked up by James?】

【Shooting a commercial? Something feels off; would Tang Tang Qiuwang abandon a match just to film an ad?】

【Aren't warm-up matches easily abandoned? As long as Manchester United agrees, right? The problem is, it's ridiculous that Manchester United actually agreed.】

【I am Tang Ye, currently trapped in Los Angeles; Venmo me 200 yuan for travel expenses, and after I get out, I'll let you join Manchester United.】

In the early hours of July 29, Beijing time, the International Champions Cup match between Manchester United and Liwupu kicked off.

That handsome, sunny boy still did not appear on Manchester United's substitute bench!

"Hiss, huff, huff, damn, damn..."

"I really can't go on; are we still training?"

"No, Mr., listen to me; I'll give you double wages, let's just rest for today, okay? I want to watch the match; my teammates are playing a warm-up game."

Tang Ye lay on the ground, with Kuzma and Ingram laughing heartily beside him.

The fitness coach accepted Tang Ye's offer of double wages but rejected Tang Ye's request to rest early.

"Tom, you're paying me $4,000 a day; if you don't see results, I'll feel guilty."

"..."

"Ah!!!"

【Physical Confrontation: 83→84】

【Speed: 76→77】

……

PS: Tomorrow's update should be around 23:00; there will be only one chapter, but Monday will have three.

Recently, some matters have left me with little choice, but once they are resolved, everything will be made up.

(End of Chapter)