Chapter 725: Piglet

"Good afternoon."

Cristiano placed one hand on Tang Ye's waist and extended the other to shake his hand: "We meet again."

"Why say 'we meet again'? You've transferred here, so meeting is perfectly normal, isn't it?"

"Haha!"

Cristiano and Tang Ye embraced.

"What do you think of Manchester United now? You've been here for over ten years, right? I often watched your matches on TV when I was a child."

Tang Ye and Cristiano walked together toward the center of the training ground.

"Hmm... to be honest, I don't feel the changes are significant."

Cristiano glanced toward the gym: "I feel Carrington is no different from what I remember."

"Some things are a bit too old."

Both Cristiano and Tang Ye were Manchester United players, with the former being a club legend, so he spoke more boldly.

"Haha, you think so too!"

Tang Ye seemed to have found a kindred spirit: "The training equipment here really isn't good, and the cafeteria is a bit old too. I feel the facilities at Dortmund and Villarreal are better than this, even though Manchester United clearly has more money."

"But it's all the same."

Tang Ye changed the subject: "We are even more powerful; I think that's enough, Cristiano."

"Win more matches, and once the club has more money, we can upgrade the equipment."

"No, no, no, it's not about winning matches, Tom. Winning matches can't solve every problem."

"No, you're wrong, Cristiano. A professional team should win matches; the more we win, the more supporters we'll have."

Tang Ye made a gesture: "We just need to maintain our current win rate, and in a few years, both the training base and the stadium will be renovated. I've discussed this with Osman before."

"Oh, no! It's not as simple as you imagine."

"Listen to me."

Just as Cristiano was about to explain his theory to Tang Ye, Fan Fan Dejiahe's whistle blew, forcing them to end their conversation.

They approached the coach.

"You two seem to be getting along quite well."

Dembélé nudged Tang Ye with his elbow, and the latter quickly twisted his waist to avoid it: "What do you mean 'getting along quite well'?"

"Getting along quite well means getting along quite well; I saw you two chatting very happily."

"Well..."

Tang Ye shook his head; only after confirming Cristiano's attention wasn't on him did he speak to Dembélé: "Actually, I've always been like this when chatting with him, but I don't feel very comfortable."

"Hmm?"

Dembélé didn't get it; he didn't understand what Tang Ye was saying.

"Sigh, kids don't understand."

Tang Ye gently pushed Dembélé away.

Saying Dembélé couldn't understand was actually just an excuse; the reality was that Tang Ye's expressive abilities simply couldn't make him explain the situation clearly.

Although Tang Ye and Cristiano were chatting and laughing, Tang Ye constantly felt there was a transparent barrier between himself and the Portuguese man.

Why did Tang Ye have this feeling?

It came from comparison.

When chatting with Rodri and Dembélé, Tang Ye had no reservations and could say whatever he wanted; the same applied to Rashford and De Jong.

But when communicating with Cristiano, Tang Ye would subconsciously think ahead, considering whether his next words were appropriate.

Just like earlier; although both were smiling during the conversation and appeared relaxed, Tang Ye's language center was actually working so hard it was practically smoking.

The players assembled; Ten Hag stood with hands in his pockets, his expression serious.

His gaze shifted to Tang Ye.

"Finally back."

Ten Hag looked at Tang Ye with a smile: "I thought that Spaniard had locked you up."

"Hahaha!"

"Haha!"

Ten Hag's teasing instantly made the Manchester United players lose their composure; of course, everyone knew exactly what Ten Hag was teasing about.

"Hey!"

"No, I returned at the normal time."

Tang Ye tried to explain to Ten Hag: "Hey, Mr., don't be like this; I haven't forgotten the club."

"He definitely forgot."

Dembélé pointed at Tang Ye: "He scored four goals in two matches for the national team but can't score that many for the club; feels like he wasn't giving his full effort."

"Wow! Tom! That's a betrayal!"

De Ligt clasped his hands over his head, his eyes wide open.

Of course, De Ligt wasn't actually surprised; his expression was feigned.

"What the fuck? (What the hell?)"

Tang Ye spread his hands: "I... hey, I'm not saying anything anymore; whatever I say, you all refute me. I'm truly done, damn it."

"Just admit whether or not you scored a hat-trick."

"I'm not talking to you anymore; scram, Osman, you're such an idiot."

"Haha!"

Ten Hag shook his head with a smile: "I was just making a casual joke; don't take it so seriously."

"Of course."

Looking at Tang Ye, Ten Hag shifted his tone: "I think that at times, one must keep one's eyes peeled, especially regarding some young players."

"This is advice from someone who has been there; some coaches do not truly have the players' best interests at heart, yet young players are often beguiled because they are young, have experienced little, and are thus more easily deceived."

"I am not singling out any specific coach; rather, because you are my players, I am offering you this advice for the future. If you are to transfer someday, you must keep your eyes peeled, so that you may see more clearly."

Ten Hag continued to smile.

"Then, is Ferran a good coach?"

The moment Dembélé finished speaking, everyone on the pitch was looking at him.

The little Frenchman was indeed somewhat too bold.

"Of course!"

Ten Hag pursed his lips, expressing his approval of Escrivá with an excited tone: "A Bundesliga champion and a Champions League champion, achieving victory in both home and away matches in his first tenure as a national team head coach, all within just a few months—such a coach is absolutely a good coach."

"..."

Beside him, Fan Fan Dejiahe was stifling his laughter.

Ten Hag had once again demonstrated the art of language.

His earlier criterion for judging whether a coach was good or bad was "whether they truly care for the players"; however, when praising Escrivá as a good coach, Ten Hag lauded his "Bundesliga championship and Champions League championship"—that is, he was praising Escrivá's tactical ability.

The inconsistency before and after made it plain that he did not approve of the Spaniard.

However, since Ten Hag was addressing professional athletes, most would not realize this unless they thought about it carefully.

"Alright, let us discuss today's arrangements..."

His gaze shifted away from Tang Ye, glanced at De Jong, and then moved to Cristiano Ronaldo.

When his gaze landed on Cristiano Ronaldo, Ten Hag's brows furrowed slightly, revealing a distinct look of disgust before quickly looking away.

Rodri noticed this and turned to glance at Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo had been at Manchester United for four days, yet Ten Hag and he had barely exchanged a few words.

Regarding this matter, a Chelsea legend stated in an interview: "Manchester United's upper management demanded the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo for the club's commercial interests; this will suddenly create conflict between Ten Hag and Cristiano Ronaldo, two people previously unfamiliar with each other, so I have always believed this is not a good transfer."

Pinned Post: Do the Pig Devils Join Hands to Create a Miracle? Manchester United's Stock Continues to Rise.

After the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, when Tang Ye returned to Manchester United from Dortmund, Manchester United's stock (MANU) surged by 45% within two weeks and rose by 75% within a month and a half.

Just as the stock price fluctuations began to stabilize somewhat, news regarding Cristiano Ronaldo arrived, sending Manchester United's shares surging once again.

On May 30, Manchester United's stock price was $17 per share.

Today, August 10, Manchester United's stock price has reached $32 per share, nearly double the previous figure.

This price is, of course, artificially inflated, for if you calculate it, you will see that this surge in stock price has bestowed upon Manchester United a market capitalization increase of $2.5 billion overnight, bringing its total market cap to over $4.5 billion.