Chapter 542: Preparations for Return, the Captain's Armband of the Red Devils Manchester United

Height: 182cm.

Weight: 75.5kg.

"Wow, not bad at all."

The physical examination had just begun, and Tang Ye's basic data left the fitness coach very satisfied.

From the 70kg he weighed when he first arrived at Manchester United to his current 75.5kg, while he couldn't sweep through the Premier League invincibly, he could certainly meet the basic physical demands of matches.

"I was already measured at the hospital before; I was 182 back then too."

"Hmm, that's very good news."

The coach clicked his tongue.

"But there is also some bad news."

Stepping off the scale, Tang Ye hung his head: "I had an X-ray taken, and that doctor said I probably won't grow any taller."

"Haha."

"Don't laugh!"

"Oh, sorry, sorry."

The coach adjusted his emotions: "I remember telling you before that you'd end up somewhere between 181 and 182; we could tell just from your bones."

"Well, alright then."

Tang Ye shrugged.

The fact that doctors and coaches could determine how much taller he would grow just by looking at his X-rays was something Tang Ye had always found incredibly miraculous.

"Xiao En, you know, if I weren't playing football, I might have become a doctor, the kind who specializes in examining bones."

Tang Ye moved his hands about, seemingly trying to use gestures to explain his idea to the coach: "You know, I'd look at their bone scans and tell them exactly how many more centimeters they could grow."

"If they couldn't grow any taller, I'd break it to them gently; but if they could still grow, I'd tell them straight out, because that would be wonderful news."

Xiao En had thought Tang Ye was joking, but the latter appeared serious.

"Being a doctor isn't that easy... well, of course, it's simpler than being a professional athlete."

"But Tom, you can't sit still in a chair, so how would you memorize all that data?"

Xiao En led Tang Ye toward the treadmill.

VO2 max was one of the items on today's physical examination agenda.

"Why would I need to memorize data?"

Tang Ye had his own ideas: "I'd be a doctor specializing in reading X-rays; I'd only need to know whether someone could still grow taller."

"Xiao En, if I became a doctor, I wouldn't treat colds; so if you catch a cold, don't come to me."

"Haha!"

"Come on, get up there first, put on this mask, yes, hmm, okay, done."

The Sun — After returning to the team, TY's odds for becoming the assist king on betting sites rose rapidly; he has currently surpassed Salah and is closing in on Robertson and De Bruyne.

"Tom currently ranks third on the odds leaderboard, but the timing of the player's return to the pitch has not yet been confirmed."

Carrington.

The second day after completing the physical examination marked Tang Ye's first participation in team joint training for the new season.

"Let's go!"

"Yeah, let's go!"

Exchanging a high-five with Rodri, Tang Ye stepped onto the training pitch, skillfully flicking a ball up from the grass and juggling it as he walked inward.

He had resumed ball training a month ago, but playing at Carrington certainly felt different from playing on an American football field.

"Thirty minutes for warm-up; gather after the whistle blows."

Fan Fan Dejiahe assigned the warm-up tasks to the players: "Erik, we can extend the rondo session today, letting Tom slowly regain his passing feel."

"..."

"Erik?"

Ten Hag remained silent, so Fan Fan Dejiahe turned his head.

At that moment, the Manchester United manager was staring at Tang Ye jogging on the field, who knew what thoughts were running through his mind.

"Erik!"

"Oh, sorry."

Ten Hag snapped back to reality: "Just do as you said."

Squinting, Fan Fan Dejiahe asked: "Are you worried that Tom won't be able to recover in a short time?"

Everyone acknowledged that Tang Ye was a top-tier player.

But one must remember that from the FA Cup final on May 25th to Manchester United's next match, a full five months had passed.

After nearly half a year without playing a match, even the most formidable players would encounter problems.

"We'll know once the matches begin."

Ten Hag's reply was simple.

Tang Ye chose to return to the team on October 2nd, a date reached after careful communication between him and the club.

October 6th marked the 8th round of the Premier League, featuring Manchester United against Newcastle; after that, Manchester United would have no matches for a full two weeks, until the 9th round clash against Liwupu on October 20th.

This timing was exceedingly clever; two weeks would be sufficient for Tang Ye to reintegrate into the team.

At this point, Fan Fan Dejiahe posed an interesting question: "If his recovery goes well... I mean, if that's the case, would you let him make his comeback in the match against Liwupu?"

Making his return from injury in the very first match against the current league leaders would undoubtedly place immense pressure on Tang Ye.

"Nothing can be confirmed right now."

Ten Hag remained calm: "We'll know when the time comes."

……

Crack!

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv5: Replication (Transcendent State)】

Proficiency: 3294/3500

Deliver the 45-degree cross!

The target is the penalty area!

Rodri controlled the ball with his chest.

He then passed it to Rashford, who was making a run nearby.

"Ousmane!"

Tang Ye shouted, and upon hearing him, Dembélé quickly cut inside.

Rashford played a reverse pass, delivering possession to Dembélé cutting in from the right flank.

Dembélé.

Crack!

He struck the shot with his left foot.

It was a driven shot along the ground; the ball skimmed past the post and into the net.

Goal!

"Haha!"

Tang Ye gave Dembélé a thumbs-up: "Beautiful, Ousmane!"

"Simple."

Dembélé walked over to Tang Ye, spreading his hands to appear extremely nonchalant.

In reality, Dembélé was ecstatic.

In recent days, he could feel his form rising rapidly.

"Before, I could usually only score two goals in training matches, Tom."

Placing his hand on Tang Ye's shoulder, Dembélé said, "But now I can score five."

"Because this was never a difficult task, Ousmane; you're overthinking scoring goals."

Tang Ye shrugged.

To be honest, upon hearing Dembélé speak of past events, Tang Ye felt somewhat perplexed.

For a striker as outstanding as Ousmane, how could he possibly score only two goals in a single training match?

However, regardless of the past, Dembélé could now score at least five goals per training session, so there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

With reassurance regarding his friend, Tang Ye turned his attention to his system.

Tang Ye (41 years old)

【Ball Control: 90; Passing: 93】

【Shooting: 82; Heading: 62; Set Pieces: 83】

【Speed: 79; Stamina: 80; Physicality: 86】

【Defense: 77; Vision: 99】

Overall Rating: 89

After returning to the team for centralized training, Tang Ye's Set Pieces and Heading attributes had each increased slightly.

One could say Ggbond was now very close to an overall rating of 90.

Why say that?

Because of the growth templates!

A quick glance revealed that Tang Ye's 【Standard Long Pass】 and 【45-Degree Cross】 growth templates were both infinitely close to Lv6.

Barring any accidents, once both templates reached Lv6, Tang Ye would be able to break through the 90 barrier.

Placing his hand on Dembélé's shoulder, Tang Ye looked up at the sky.

Today was a rare sunny day in Manchester.

Everything was developing in a positive direction!

……

The Sun's front-page headline: Manchester United held a special 60-minute intra-squad match; Dembélé scored 6 goals, TY contributed 2 goals and 4 assists, showing good form.

The Sun was the only newspaper reporting on Manchester United's internal training. Fans only learned afterward that a reporter from The Sun had climbed a large tree outside the Carrington Base, observing Manchester United's entire afternoon training session in this manner.

"The author has been arrested by the police," was the final sentence left in the article.

The Sun's reporter sacrificed himself, yet brought valuable information to the fans.

What many fans did not know was that this reporter had even detailed Manchester United's training match tactics in the article; however, upon seeing the content, the newspaper's editor proactively contacted Manchester United, and after some communication, deleted the sections regarding tactics.

【Why does seeking news require climbing trees nowadays?】

【Wait, Dembélé scored 6 goals? Does "6 goals" refer to the number of goals scored?】

【Brothers, does anyone have video of the training match? Was this just messing around or something? Don't mess with us.】

【I can understand Tang Tang Qiuwang getting 2 goals and 4 assists, but what does it mean that Dembélé scored 6?】

【Feels like this form is ready for immediate play; does that mean Ggbond will start against Liwupu in his first match back?】

It was now October 13th, leaving exactly one week until Manchester United's 9th-round match against Liwupu.

Initially, fans did not believe Tang Ye would choose the Double Red Derby as his first match of the new season; after all, the Double Red Derby was extremely difficult, and playing poorly would be disastrous.

However, the news from The Sun caused a shift in the fans' perspective.

Thinking carefully, hadn't Master Tom never experienced any low point in memory?

If that's the case, then a direct comeback is reasonable, right?

"Rodri!"

"Stop, stop!"

Fans shouted in front of the Carrington base.

A Lamborghini drove past, but the Audi Q8 following it came to a halt.

The fans excitedly rushed over.

"Wow!"

"Rodri!"

Rustle rustle rustle!

The driver rolled down the window, and only then did the fans notice Tang Ye sitting in the passenger seat.

"Oh, shit!"

"Tom?"

The fans who had been gathered around the driver's window ran over to the passenger side.

"Hey!"

Rodri spread his hands and honked the horn a few more times, his expression somewhat helpless.

"Haha."

"Tom Tom!"

The fans handed pens and shirts to Tang Ye for autographs, and he wrote his name carefully.

"Damn, I've kind of forgotten how to write."

Having not signed autographs for a long time, Tang Ye was now even somewhat rusty.

"Tom, will you play when we face Liwupu?"

"Can you play when we face Liwupu?"

"Can you help us take down Liwupu?"

Tang Ye handed the shirt with his name written on it back to the fan: "I really want to play too, but that's not something I can decide; we have to see what the head coach thinks, okay?"

"Tom, you're the best; no matter what, you can start!"

"Haha, thanks."

Tang Ye fist-bumped several fans.

"By the way, Tom!"

"Do you need a driver? I can be your driver."

"Whatever you do, don't drive again, Tom; give me your Martin!"

Rodri lightly pressed the accelerator while Tang Ye unbuckled his seatbelt, leaned out the window, and shouted: "That was just a mistake; there won't be a second time!"

The Times — It is reported that Klopp has modified Liwupu players' training schedule to prepare for the possibility of TY appearing in the Red Derby.

Jinri Toutiao — Tang Ye is selling his Aston Martin DB11, involved in his car accident, at half price; equipped with a 5.2-liter V12 twin-turbocharged engine, the asking price is only 1.65 million RMB.

Pah!

Spitting saliva onto the grass, Tang Ye poured bottled water over his hands.

Mm!

So cold!

"Ousmane, I feel like I missed the best time; England is about to cool down."

"I don't like playing in winter either, but I feel there's no difference in temperature between October and November."

Dembélé sat on a chair nearby, resting.

"No, there is a difference; you'll know when the time comes, Ousmane. By November, Anthony will be wearing his gloves."

Tang Ye pointed toward Martial in the distance and spoke with the tone of someone experienced: "If your hands get cold too, you can ask him for gloves; I remember he has plenty of them."

"Haha."

Dembélé looked up at the sky: "The weather here is terrible; I can already feel that sensation you described before."

"This is just the beginning, Ousmane; you need to learn to endure hardship, just like me."

Tang Ye lifted his chin slightly, boasting to his friend about his arduous training throughout his professional career: "But actually, none of that matters anymore; as long as we're in a good mood when we play, that's enough."

Tang Ye told Dembélé a secret.

Climate doesn't determine everything, but one's mood while playing football can.

As long as we play together and maintain a good mood, then Tom and Ousmane will be invincible!

"Beep!!!"

"Hurry up, assemble!"

Ten Hag and Fan Fan Dejiahe stood together, summarizing the day's training session.

"Overall, our situation is quite good; our training results this month are clearly better than last month's, and not just by a little. Of course, this is also related to having fewer matches this month."

"We play against Liwupu on the 20th; there are some things I still need to mention because that match is too important for us..."

"..."

Talks on the training ground usually don't last long; in less than ten minutes, Mr. Erik had finished saying everything he needed to say.

With Rodri's help, Tang Ye grasped the key points of this talk.

Ten Hag explicitly stated that Manchester United needs to compete for titles on two fronts this season, meaning challenging for both the Premier League championship and the Champions League title simultaneously.

Considering the grueling Champions League schedule, Manchester United must free themselves from the league race ahead of time.

Since they want to free themselves from the league early, Manchester United must at least secure first place in the Premier League by the end of February, and then shift their focus...

"Here."

Tang Ye was pondering in the locker room when Ten Hag unknowingly approached him, extending a hand to offer a fluorescent-colored armband.

Out of human instinct, Tang Ye took the armband, then saw the characters on it.

【Captain】 (Team Leader)

ggbond had gotten it wrong.

This was actually not a sports wristband, but a small captain's armband.

Although it was a small armband, it contained immense power within.

"What's this, Mr. Sitting Like?"

"This is yours now."

Ten Hag looked into Tang Ye's eyes, with Ashley Young standing beside him.

"Yes, starting today."

"This..."

Tang Ye's mouth opened slightly.

The matter was somewhat sudden, so he needed some time to think.

"If you want to refuse, you can tell me now. But once you put it on, you cannot take it off again."

"..."

Tang Ye's heartbeat accelerated, so fast that he could feel it himself now.

"Are you sure, Mr. Sitting Like?"

"Take it."

Before Ten Hag could speak, Ashley Young came over and patted Tang Ye on the shoulder.

Bailly and Martial were nodding at Tang Ye.

Rodri and Rashford each gave a thumbs-up, while Dembélé directly gave two thumbs-up by himself.

"Phew..."

Looking at each teammate in the locker room in turn, Tang Ye took a deep breath.

He clenched the object in his palm.

"Then this is mine."

(End of Chapter)