Chapter Summaries

After recovering from his coma and a long injury, Dejan Lu settled in Cheshire, joined Manchester United’s training, and was named to the bench against Barcelona. He entered the match in the second half and scored on his return, pulling United back into contention.

• Dejan Lu moved into a house in Wilmslow, continued rehabilitation, and gradually returned to Manchester United training as the team won the Premier League title.
• Dejan Lu trained with Manchester United’s young players and accepted a place on the bench for the Champions Cup match against Barcelona on October 19.
• Manchester United took the lead through Mark Hughes, but Romario equalized and Bakero put Barcelona ahead before halftime.
• Ferguson reprimanded United’s players at halftime, while Dejan Lu offered to enter but was told to wait.
• Ferguson sent Dejan Lu on in the second half, and Dejan Lu dribbled past Barcelona’s defenders before driving the ball past Carlos Busquets and into the goal.

Dejan Lu returned from injury in Manchester United’s Champions Cup match against Barcelona, scoring four goals in a 5-2 comeback victory. After the final whistle, he praised his teammates at the press conference and defended Keane’s foul.

• Dejan Lu came on against Barcelona, controlled Scholes’s misplaced pass, dribbled past four defenders, and scored to equalize.
• Kanchelskis went off injured, and Beckham made his Champions Cup debut; his corner led to Dejan Lu’s bicycle-kick goal and Manchester United’s lead.
• Dejan Lu scored twice more with solo runs as Barcelona retreated, while Ferguson brought on Beckham and Cruyff prepared to strengthen his midfield.
• Keane kicked Koeman from behind late in the match and received a red card before Manchester United finished its 5-2 win.
• Dejan Lu told Ferguson he felt fine, completed the drug test, and defended Keane when reporters questioned the foul.

After Dejan Lu’s four-goal Champions League performance, his Manchester United teammates gathered at his home before Ferguson prepared the squad for a crucial match against Blackburn. Dejan started up front and scored after just 11 seconds, breaking Chris Sutton’s Premier League scoring record and giving United an immediate lead.

• Dejan Lu hosted his teammates and their families for a barbecue, where he toasted their shared pursuit of trophies and agreed to join McClair’s proposed team song.
• The Sun reported on the gathering, and Ferguson reprimanded several players for drinking heavily before warning that United had to beat Blackburn or lose their holidays.
• Ferguson brought Dejan Lu to the press conference with Blackburn manager Kenny Dalglish, where the two coaches argued over their old feud.
• Dejan Lu drew a Kenny Dalglish single-match experience card, then asked Ferguson to start him as a striker against Blackburn.
• After the match began, Dejan Lu received the ball inside Blackburn’s penalty area and scored at 11.07 seconds, surpassing Chris Sutton’s record.

Dejan Lu scored four goals in Manchester United’s 6-1 win over Blackburn, then watched from the bench as United drew with Liverpool in a fierce derby. After Ian Rush equalized in stoppage time, Dejan Lu asked Ferguson to send him on.

• Dejan Lu scored twice in quick succession to complete a hat-trick and break the Premier League record for the fastest hat-trick.
• Dejan Lu scored a fourth goal before Ferguson substituted him, and Manchester United went on to beat Blackburn 6-1.
• After several wins and a Champions League defeat, Manchester United traveled to Anfield to face Liverpool, with Dejan Lu starting on the bench.
• Kanchelskis put Manchester United ahead in the 72nd minute, but Ian Rush equalized in the 92nd minute.
• Dejan Lu walked to the touchline and told Ferguson that he wanted to go on.

Dejan Lu scored a last-minute winner as Manchester United defeated Liverpool, then prepared for a Champions League grudge match against Galatasaray by volunteering to play goalkeeper. His unorthodox performance stunned the crowd as he repeatedly charged out to defend and scored directly from a free kick deep in his own half.

• Dejan Lu came off the bench and scored a long-range winner in stoppage time, securing Manchester United's victory over Liverpool.
• At the press conference, Dejan Lu answered questions about his playing time and life in Britain, then discussed plans with Kumatani Gensuke to make a Pokémon movie.
• Dejan Lu hustled Gary Neville at pool, won seventy thousand Pound Sterling, and told him that he had gained a lesson.
• Before Manchester United's Champions League match against Galatasaray, Dejan Lu drew a Manuel Neuer experience card and persuaded Ferguson to let him play goalkeeper.
• Dejan Lu repeatedly rushed out of his goal to stop Galatasaray attacks, then scored from a free kick taken deep in his own half to put Manchester United ahead.

Dejan Lu dominated Galatasaray from the goalkeeper position, scoring twice and assisting Cantona before the break, then scoring a solo goal after halftime to complete a hat-trick. With Manchester United leading 4–0 and Galatasaray growing desperate, Ferguson prepared Schmeichel to replace Dejan Lu.

• Dejan Lu made a series of saves against Galatasaray, then launched a long goal kick that led to Cantona scoring Manchester United’s second goal.
• Dejan Lu scored from a free kick just before halftime to give Manchester United a 3–0 lead, then returned to his penalty area without celebrating.
• At halftime, Ferguson praised Dejan Lu’s goalkeeping and warned the team to improve, while the players joked about his unusual performance.
• After the restart, Dejan Lu intercepted a pass, dribbled 87 meters past Galatasaray’s players, and scored to complete his hat-trick.
• Ferguson told Schmeichel to warm up because he feared Galatasaray might foul Dejan Lu after his spectacular solo goal.

Dejan Lu helped Manchester United crush Galatasaray 8–0, then the team celebrated before attention turned to their match against Arsenal. After Manchester United struggled to score, Dejan came off the bench and headed home Beckham’s corner, leaving them ahead late in the game.

• Dejan Lu cleared Neville’s dangerous back pass, Cantona scored from the resulting attack, and Dejan left the pitch to applause as Manchester United went on to win 8–0.
• The team celebrated at a supporters’ bar, where Dejan showed off his darts skills, and newspapers praised his performance while The Sun dubbed Buffon, Totti, and Lanna the “Apennine Trio.”
• Ferguson faced questions about transfers and Graham’s scandal before naming Dejan Lu on the bench for Manchester United’s match against Arsenal.
• Arsenal’s fouling and Manchester United’s ineffective attack kept the match scoreless at halftime, and Ferguson warned his players to improve before bringing on Dejan and Beckham.
• Beckham took a corner shortly after entering, and Dejan Lu headed it into the net to give Manchester United the lead and score in nine consecutive substitute appearances.

Manchester United overwhelmed Arsenal as Dejan Lu scored five goals, Beckham supplied three assists, and Schmeichel saved a penalty. After the match, Cantona was sent off against Crystal Palace for retaliating against Richard Shaw, then kicked a fan who insulted him.

• Dejan Lu scored after coming on, but McAteer equalized for Arsenal from a corner.
• The referee awarded Arsenal a penalty after Bruce challenged Carter, but Schmeichel saved Carter's kick.
• Beckham assisted Dejan Lu's second goal, and Dejan later completed his hat-trick with a long-range volley.
• Dejan Lu added two more goals as Manchester United routed Arsenal, prompting Highbury fans to chant for Graham's departure.
• Manchester United beat Cardiff City and Sheffield United, while Andy Cole joined the club.
• Cantona was sent off against Crystal Palace for fouling Richard Shaw, then kicked a fan who insulted him; Dejan Lu told Gary Neville that Eric was not a bad person.

After Cantona’s suspension was extended, Dejan Lu defended him publicly and accepted Cantona’s expensive Ferrari as thanks. Manchester United then traveled to Munich for their Champions League match against Bayern, where Dejan Lu received a Franz Beckenbauer Experience Card just before the game.

• Dejan Lu told reporters that Cantona was not a bad person, criticized The FA’s handling of the Crystal Palace match, and argued that players deserved mutual respect.
• The FA increased Cantona’s suspension to seven months, suspended Richard Shaw for three matches, and banned Matthew Simmons from its stadiums for life.
• Cantona gave Dejan Lu a new Ferrari F50 to thank him for standing by him, while Brian McClair and Andy Cole separately visited Dejan Lu’s home.
• Dejan Lu assisted McClair three times and scored once in Manchester United’s 6–0 derby win over Manchester City, then traveled with the team to Munich for the Bayern match.
• At the Munich press conference, Trapattoni admitted that stopping Dejan Lu would be difficult, while Dejan Lu praised Matthäus and discussed Bayern’s strengths.
• Before the match, Dejan Lu drew a Franz Beckenbauer Experience Card, whose playing style resembled Matthäus’s.

Manchester United faced Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal, with Dejan Lu starring as a deep-lying defender and playmaker. After setting up Brian McClair’s opener, Dejan Lu watched Lothar Matthäus equalize before scoring a clever free kick to put Manchester United back ahead.

• Dejan Lu joked with young Phillip Lahm and Lothar Matthäus in the tunnel before the match.
• Dejan Lu won the ball in his own half and launched a counterattack that ended with Brian McClair tapping into an open goal.
• Lothar Matthäus equalized for Bayern with a powerful free kick after Gary Neville fouled Scholl.
• Dejan Lu dropped back to organize Manchester United’s play and sent Gini Batistuta forward with a long pass, forcing Dieter Frey to foul him.
• Dejan Lu disguised his free-kick attempt with Beckham’s decoy run and curled the ball into Bayern’s net, restoring Manchester United’s lead.

Dejan Lu repeatedly scored against Bayern Munich, putting Manchester United 4–1 ahead and leaving Bayern’s players furious and demoralized. After Matthäus was sent off for fighting Scholl, Dejan took one last free kick before being substituted, and Scholl realized too late that the ball was swerving in an S-shape.

• Dejan Lu fooled Bayern with a disguised free kick and restored Manchester United’s lead, prompting Matthäus to dismiss the goal as a trick.
• Dejan Lu scored twice more with a long-range shot and a solo run through Bayern’s defense, extending Manchester United’s lead to 4–1.
• Matthäus charged forward with the ball, and Beckham and Dejan Lu helped Manchester United regain possession and launch another attack.
• Scholl kicked Dejan Lu during a challenge, and Matthäus kicked Scholl and criticized him for fouling; the referee sent Matthäus off and booked Scholl.
• Ferguson prepared to substitute Dejan Lu, who took a free kick before leaving the pitch; Scholl dived as the ball swerved past his arm.

Manchester United crushed Bayern Munich 7–1, and the fallout from Matthäus’s red card and Bayern’s dressing-room conflict dominated the press conference and European newspapers. After Dejan Lu was cleared by a hospital examination, the chapter moved through Manchester United’s subsequent wins and ended as the team prepared to face Tottenham Hotspur, with Dejan starting up front.

• Manchester United beat Bayern Munich 7–1 after Matthäus was sent off, and Ferguson sent Dejan Lu to the hospital for an examination.
• Redondo and Ferguson faced reporters, where Ferguson criticized Bayern’s internal conflict and Redondo sarcastically defended Matthäus while mocking Scholl.
• European newspapers reported on the Bayern dispute, while Ferguson and Redondo accompanied Dejan Lu to the hospital and learned he was fine.
• Manchester United won against a rotated lineup and then defeated Everton with Keane and Redondo leading the team.
• Before the Tottenham match, Dejan Lu drew a Gary Lineker experience card and told Ferguson he would play as a striker.
• Manchester United and Tottenham announced their starting lineups, and referee Kelvin Morton started the match at eleven that night.

Dejan Lu scored a record-breaking hat-trick in Manchester United’s 5-0 win over Tottenham, then watched his team defeat Bayern and prepare to face Arsenal. At the Arsenal press conference, Arsène Wenger defended his private life and coaching methods before revealing that he had once nearly signed Dejan.

• Dejan Lu scored three goals in 3 minutes and 51 seconds as Manchester United crushed Tottenham Hotspur 5-0, breaking the record for the fastest hat-trick in British league football.
• Ferguson substituted Dejan Lu to rest him for Bayern, and Manchester United later beat Bayern 3-1 to advance with a 10-2 aggregate score.
• Manchester United’s players discussed Wenger on the bus to their match against Arsenal, while Ferguson and Dejan Lu anticipated meeting the French manager.
• Wenger told reporters he had a girlfriend in France, explained why Adams had quit drinking, and said Arsenal needed time to adapt to his tactics.
• Wenger revealed that he had once come close to signing Dejan Lu, prompting Ferguson to react angrily.

Dejan Lu and Redondo combined to score twice as Manchester United took a 2–0 lead over Arsenal at Old Trafford. Arsenal’s players reverted to physical play, and Ray Parlour’s advance in the 23rd minute forced Dejan Lu to help defend.

• Before kickoff, Ferguson warned Manchester United’s players that poor performances against Arsenal would send them to the FA Youth Cup, while Dejan Lu drew a single-match experience card for Alexander Pavlovich Hleb.
• Arsenal manager Wenger reflected on his new team’s attacking weaknesses and considered recruiting players who had previously lost to Dejan Lu.
• Dejan Lu intercepted Arsenal’s attack, combined with Redondo, and scored the opening goal with a curling shot past Seaman.
• Dejan Lu collected Redondo’s chipped pass, exchanged passes with Mark Hughes, and scored again from a tight angle despite Seaman getting a hand to the ball.
• Wenger urged Arsenal to stop Manchester United’s quick combinations, but Arsenal’s players returned to physical play, and Dejan Lu stepped up to confront Ray Parlour in the 23rd minute.

Manchester United crushed Arsenal 4–0 as Dejan Lu dominated the match, then Wenger challenged Ferguson to face Arsenal next season without Dejan. Dejan later read Rijkaard’s declaration that Ajax would pursue the championship, setting up their coming semifinal clash.

• Wenger urged Arsenal to reduce their fouls, while Ferguson delayed substituting Dejan Lu because Arsenal could still threaten a comeback.
• Dejan Lu sprinted past Arsenal’s defenders and scored after combining with Andy Cole, extending Manchester United’s lead before halftime.
• After the break, Dejan Lu dribbled through Arsenal’s defense and scored again, prompting Ferguson to replace him with Ryan Giggs.
• Manchester United finished with a 4–0 victory over Arsenal, who received two red cards.
• At the press conference, Wenger said Arsenal had lost to Dejan and challenged Ferguson to leave him out when they met next season.
• Dejan Lu read Rijkaard’s interview declaring that Ajax’s goal was to win the championship.

Dejan Lu joined Redondo, Schmeichel, and the Nevilles for a day in the Peak District before Manchester United prepared to face Ajax in the Champions League. In the match, Dejan Lu helped McClair score an early goal, giving Manchester United the lead.

• Dejan Lu and Redondo took Schmeichel and his son, Gary Neville, to the Peak District, where the group hiked, fished, and searched for butterflies and insects.
• Schmeichel told Dejan Lu about losing more than a hundred thousand dollars on electricity futures, and Dejan Lu advised him to be wary of investments that were already being hyped.
• Manchester United narrowly beat Leeds United, then Ferguson prepared his team for Ajax and assigned Dejan Lu a role in pressing Rijkaard.
• Manchester United and Ajax began their Champions League match at Old Trafford, and Ajax controlled possession with their passing and movement.
• Dejan Lu evaded Ajax's defenders and delivered a pass into the box, where McClair controlled the ball and scored to put Manchester United ahead.

Manchester United and Ajax traded goals before Dejan Lu put United ahead with two long-range strikes, exposing Ajax’s difficulty containing him. The chapter ended with United leading 3–1 after Beckham set up Dejan Lu’s second goal.

• Ronald de Boer equalized for Ajax by volleying in after Overmars’s corner caused confusion in United’s defense.
• Dejan Lu dribbled past defenders and nearly scored from distance, then later crossed for McClair, whose diving header Van der Sar tipped wide.
• Beckham’s corner led to a loose ball that Dejan Lu collected and drove into the net to restore United’s lead.
• Ajax kept possession and built attacks patiently, but United’s defenders repeatedly disrupted their advances.
• Gary Neville and Beckham combined on a counterattack, and Beckham passed across the pitch for Dejan Lu to score a powerful left-footed shot and make it 3–1.

Manchester United defeated Ajax 6:2 in the first leg of their European tie as Dejan Lu scored four goals and assisted twice. His last-second strike left Ajax facing an almost impossible task in the return leg.

• Rijkaard urged Ajax to hold on, but Overmars, Litmanen, and Finidi George combined for a goal that cut Manchester United’s lead to 3:2 before halftime.
• Ferguson criticized Manchester United’s defending in the dressing room, replaced Philip Neville with Scholes, and sent the team back out in a changed formation.
• Dejan Lu beat Ajax’s defense with a dribble and lofted a cross that McClair headed in, restoring Manchester United’s two-goal lead.
• After Ajax brought on Davids and Kluivert, Dejan Lu assisted Scholes in a move that ended with Dejan Lu blasting a long-range shot into the goal for 5:2.
• Dejan Lu scored again with a curling long-range strike in the final moments, sealing Manchester United’s 6:2 win and a four-goal advantage for the second leg.

Manchester United celebrated Dejan Lu’s four-goal, two-assist performance against Ajax, then prepared to clinch the league title against Chelsea. Dejan opened the Chelsea match with a long-range goal and assisted Andy Cole’s second, while Hoddle’s strange focus on the substitutes left McClair plotting to consult a wizard against Cole.

• Dejan Lu joined the fans’ celebrations after Manchester United’s victory over Ajax, then attended the press conference with Ferguson and answered questions about football and his private life.
• Dejan Lu read reports about Manchester United’s title race, learned Gary Neville’s car had been stolen, and watched Milan beat Paris 2–0 in their European tie.
• Manchester United beat Leicester City 2–0, leaving them close to the title, and Ferguson demanded victory against Chelsea after Hoddle vowed to fight for his team’s honor.
• Hoddle instructed Chelsea’s substitutes to concentrate and use their collective mental power, while Ferguson told Kidd that Manchester United needed a wizard of their own.
• Dejan Lu scored from outside the box in the fourth minute against Chelsea, then set up Andy Cole to make it 2–0.
• McClair watched Cole celebrate alongside Dejan Lu and considered finding a wizard to injure his rival for a place in the team.

Manchester United thrashed Chelsea 7-0 to clinch their third consecutive league title, with Dejan Lu scoring twice before Ferguson substituted him. As the team celebrated at Old Trafford, Dejan shared the moment with Kasper Schmeichel, Monica, and the Princess, then dedicated his remarks to the absent Eric and hoped he would return for the Champions League final.

• Dejan Lu scored after combining with Irwin, then broke through Chelsea’s defenders and netted again to put Manchester United further ahead.
• Ferguson sent Ryan Giggs on for Dejan Lu, and Manchester United went on to win 7-0 and secure the Premier League title.
• Manchester United received their medals and trophy, which Ferguson handed to Dejan Lu to raise before the celebrating crowd.
• Dejan Lu let Kasper Schmeichel take a shot at goal, and the boy made a fingertip save that delighted the supporters.
• Dejan Lu embraced and kissed Monica and the Princess during the celebrations as reporters questioned him about their relationships and marriage.
• Dejan Lu told reporters that the team missed Eric, hoped he would attend the Champions League final, and wanted him back on the pitch next season; Cantona became emotional watching on television.