“Huff, huff…,”
Long Fei, drenched in sweat, finally stopped to rest for a moment.
He noticed Head Coach Mobley standing behind him.
“Good morning, Coach Mobley,”
Long Fei waved and said.
Long Fei’s fluent English
left Head Coach Mobley completely stunned.
“Long, your English is so good! How come I didn’t notice it yesterday?!”
Long Fei was taken aback, and found an excuse to explain: “I had some basic foundation before, and I’ve been brushing up on it recently.”
“After all, it’s important to have good communication with my teammates.”
Mobley nodded approvingly:
“That’s right.”
“Every year, countless foreign prodigy players come to England to make a name for themselves.”
“But only a few can actually make a mark.”
“Language barrier is a huge obstacle for many.”
“And many people are reluctant to spend time learning the language outside of training.”
“Long, your positive attitude is admirable. I believe your career will not be limited to the Championship!”
While the two were talking.
The Blackburn Rovers first-team players arrived at the training ground one after another.
Seeing these lazy players, Mobley was furious:
“What time is it, why don’t you wait until the afternoon to come for training?!”
The players quickly returned to their positions.
Dunn, the defensive midfielder and vice-captain, mumbled under his breath: “Training starts at eight, we’re not late!”
“Dunn! What are you mumbling?!”
Mobley roared.
Dunn coughed and replied:
“I said, coach, your insight is spot-on.”
Mobley snorted and continued:
“Look at yourselves, you lost the last league game and you don’t even have a sense of urgency!”
“So lazy and unmotivated!”
“If you lose again, we’ll be in the relegation zone!”
“You all look.”
“The new player is more dedicated than any of you!”
Mobley’s words.
Successfully drew the attention of the whole team to Long Fei.
Long Fei, with his Asian face and oriental features.
Also sparked everyone’s curiosity.
“Coach, didn’t we say we were going to rent a midfielder from the Premier League giants, Manchester United?”
“Is that him?”
Blackburn’s main striker and captain, Rhodes, asked.
Rhodes’ face was emotionless while speaking.
But there was a clear hint of doubt in his tone.
His question actually reflected the doubts of the entire Blackburn team.
The team’s finances were already tight.
Being able to rent a midfielder
from a powerhouse like Manchester United.
was initially a happy event.
It suggested that the team’s midfield would have a strong player to rely on in the second half of the season.
It would definitely lift the team from the brink of relegation.
But…
The whole team looked at the young, oriental faced stranger in front of them.
They couldn’t help but be filled with question marks.
Is this really a player from Manchester United?
Head Coach Mobley cleared his throat and said:
“This is Long Fei, a talented player from Longguo, newly signed by Manchester United.”
“Don’t let his youth fool you, he is a highly talented player!”
When they heard that Long Fei was from Longguo.
and a young rookie newly signed by Manchester United.
The Blackburn players looked at each other, disappointment showing on their faces.
“Coach, I mean no disrespect to my new teammate.”
“But I thought the player we were going to rent was an experienced Premier League midfielder.”
Captain Rhodes said with a helpless expression.
This season, Blackburn had been plagued by lack of firepower.
Rhodes, the striker and captain, had been criticized by the media.
This made Rhodes feel wronged.
Because Rhodes knew clearly this season.
His physical condition and competitive state were absolutely at their peak in his professional career.
This could be seen from his performance this season.
Although so far this season, Rhodes had scored 11 goals in 26 matches across all competitions.
Which was 4 goals fewer than his 15 goals in the same period last season.
But according to statistics from the Championship.
So far this season, Rhodes’ shots had decreased by a whopping 30% compared to the same period last season!
Almost a third fewer shots.
Yet, he only scored 4 fewer goals than last season.
That was pretty impressive!
The reason why he had so few shots this season.
was precisely because there was no technically skilled midfielder in the midfield!
No matter how powerful a shooter you are, if there are no midfielders to support you and provide assists.
How do you convert them into goals?
Even if you’re Maradona, you can’t score every goal by yourself, without relying on your midfield teammates for support!
Therefore, Rhodes was not simply targeting Long Fei.
He genuinely felt that.
Young Long Fei.
was far from the Premier League level midfielder he had imagined, one who could deliver a good pass!
The other players’ thoughts were similar.
Even if they rented a substitute midfielder from Manchester United, that would be fine!
Someone who can play as a substitute at a powerhouse like Manchester United.
When they reach the Championship, they’d be a solid starter and a force to be reckoned with!
But renting a young player who had just landed in Britain.
And from the football desert of Longguo!
That was just unreliable!