Tang Long in the Eye of the Manchester City Storm: Back Injury, Treatment, and the Media Maelstrom!

Tang Long felt a slight soreness in his lower back after training. Remembering the physiotherapy services that the female team doctor Gracie, had mentioned, he decided to go and visit her.

As I approached the slightly ajar door to Gracie's office, a strange and intermittent sound reached my ears, like a whip cracking in the air, yet not the sound of ordinary objects colliding.

He couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

The sound was short and powerful, a series of sharp cracks that made Tang Long's heart clench, and various guesses flashed through his mind.

He simply couldn't imagine what it would be like to see the petite Gracie smilingly wielding a whip.

Pushing open the door, the scene before him made him suddenly realize what was going on.

It turned out that the sound wasn't from whipping, but rather Gracie demonstrating a special physical therapy procedure.

She was holding Gent made flexible therapeutic stick, tapping it on a mannequin in a specific rhythm.

The mannequin lying on the massage chair, its legs being pounded loudly, the sound echoing in the empty room, could easily lead to misunderstandings.

"Ah, Tang, you've come!"

Wearing a white lab coat, Gracie noticed the commotion by the door, turned around, and smiled sweetly as always. "This is a new type of muscle relaxation therapy we're trying, which is particularly effective in relieving deep muscle tension and soreness."

Tang Long explained his situation to Gracie.

Gracie nodded with a smile, removed the mannequin, and then patted the massage chair.

"Come on up, let me take a look at you."

Guided by Gracie, Tang Long took off his shirt and lay face down on the massage chair.

"How's it going? Getting used to the physicality of the Premier League? It's much better than Serie A, isn't it? I see you have some bruises here."

Gracie's soft, supple hand brushed against Tang Long's back. "The bruises on your deltoid muscles haven't faded yet. You must have been hit during a proper collision, right?"

Tang Long said, "That's right. In the first round of the league, we played Tottenham Hotspur away. My former Inter Milan teammate, Guarin, was like a mad dog, charging at me. It's been over a week, is he still bruised? I didn't notice."

"It's alright, it'll go away in a few days, it's nothing to worry about," Gracie said.

Gracie accurately described the cause of the bruises on her back, which made Tang Long have no doubt about her professional competence.

Gracie's small hand began to slide down Tang Long's back, following the muscle lines of his back.

The soft touch brushed against his body, making Tang Long feel a ticklish sensation. He wanted to laugh, but after glancing at Gracie's serious expression, he forced himself to suppress it.

Gracie's small hand slid down to Tang Long's latissimus dorsi muscle.

She suddenly stopped, then pushed hard with her index finger knuckle. Tang Long had no idea that Gracie's strength would suddenly increase, and he cried out, "Ah!"

"Does it hurt a lot?" Gracie asked, startled, and frowned.

"It didn't hurt at first, but when you pushed against me so hard, it started to hurt," Tang Long answered truthfully.

Gracie's brow relaxed, she nodded, and said softly, "This is your latissimus dorsi, there's a slight swelling, probably caused by someone kneeing you from behind during the game."

Tang Long thought to himself, "You were right again. This little girl is quite capable."

"Yes, in the game against West Bromwich Albion that just ended, there was a high ball, and my defensive midfielder and I jumped at the same time to contest the header. That black guy just used his knee to hit me in the air, almost crippling me. It was pretty underhanded. The referee only called a foul and didn't even give me a card."

Gracie told him that in order to make the game more fluid and entertaining, the Premier League is very physical and the referees are more lenient in their rulings than in Serie A, so he should be careful to protect himself.

"Take your pants off, let me check if you have any injuries in your groin." With that, he turned and went to put on his gloves.

Remembering the embarrassment of his pre-employment physical exam, and seeing Gracie putting on gloves, Tang Long immediately waved his hand and said, "My groin is fine, Dr. Gracie, my main problem is my lower back. Could you take a look at my kidneys?"

Gracie then placed her hand on Tang Long's waist to examine him.

"Does it hurt here?" "No, it doesn't."

"And here?" "It doesn't hurt either."

"There's this place too?" "I don't feel anything."

Gracie pinched a small piece of flesh on Tang Long's waist and asked him if it hurt, but after touching his entire waist, from the back to the front and then the other side, she still couldn't pinpoint the source of the pain.

Gracie thought for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Your situation is complicated. We can't pinpoint the source of the pain; you just feel pain in your lower back, but we can't pinpoint exactly where it hurts, right?"

"Yes, yes, it's that kind of pain where you can't pinpoint exactly where it hurts, but it hurts everywhere. It's driving me crazy," Tang Long nodded, lying on the bed.

Gracie blinked her big blue eyes twice, stared at Tang Long, and said with a half-smile, "How often do you have sex?"

Tang Long was taken aback, and thought to himself that something was wrong. This girl probably thought that his back pain was due to excessive sexual activity and kidney deficiency, so she didn't respond for a moment.

Seeing that Tang Long didn't respond, Gracie said earnestly, "Male soccer players have very high hormone levels, which is medically supported. However, you should do this within your limits, especially since you're not even 20 years old yet. Too much of this will affect your performance, and the clinical manifestations will be back pain, leg weakness, and shortness of breath."

However, after hearing Tang Long's explanation that he didn't have a girlfriend yet, Gracie apologized sheepishly.

"Then there's only one possibility: systemic muscle inflammation."

After saying that, he picked up the blue, flexible therapeutic stick from the table.

It was this stick that made those "smack" sounds when it hit the dummy that gave Tang Long was outside the door, a bad feeling.

How long has it been hurting?

"It only started hurting yesterday."

"I'll use the latest technology developed by the University of Manchester Medical School on you now, which can relieve deep muscle tension and soreness. As for the inflammation, we'll continue to observe it in a few days."

Tang Long turned to the side, trying to get a closer look at the blue, flexible healing rod, but before he could see it clearly, Gracie slammed the rod down!

With a crisp snap, a current shot through Tang Long's waist, making him shudder.

It was only then that he realized that the lower end of the elastic therapeutic stick was connected to an electric wire, which was live.

It's strange, really.

Whether it was the effect of the blow or the electric shock, the soreness in his lower back immediately subsided by half after that one blow, leaving Tang Long amazed.

"It works well, doesn't it? I knew it," a confident smile appeared on Gracie's lips. "This is the latest research result from our Manchester University Research Group. You are the first professional player to receive this treatment. I will follow up on your recovery. Your data is very important for the promotion of this research result. Thank you for your cooperation, Tang."

After saying that, he struck several more times with the stick.

The sound of slapping echoed in the empty office.

At first, Tang Long felt a sharp pain from the electric shock, but later he only felt a tingling sensation in his waist, his muscles relaxed, and he slumped into the massage chair. He felt the light above his head was as warm as the sun, as if he were not lying on a massage chair, but rather sunbathing on a beach, feeling relaxed and comfortable, as if he were about to fall asleep.

"Thank you for your treatment, I feel much better." "You're welcome, please come again next time."

Tang Long and Gracie thanked her and left, thinking to themselves, "This female team doctor is really bold. She dared to test her newly developed treatment product on the player who is the most expensive signing in Manchester City's history. No wonder, her lover is the mayor of Manchester. The power behind her is probably not simple."

September 1st arrived, and on this day, the transfer market officially closed!

The much-anticipated tree-climbing and tree-climbing segment that fans enjoyed has finally come to an end.

All teams are preparing diligently and looking forward to the new season.

The Premier League has undoubtedly become a particularly eye-catching highlight of this summer!

The reason is simple: during the 2015 summer transfer window, the world's first, second, and third most expensive transfers all went to the Premier League!

First Icardi, €96 million, Inter Milan vs. Manchester United;

Second De Bruyne, €73 million, Wolfsburg - Manchester United;

Third place: Tang Long, €71 million, Inter Milan vs. Manchester City.

The two Manchester City clubs have engaged in a fierce equipment race in the transfer market, chasing each other closely and daring not to let their guard down for a moment.

Witnessing this scene sent many British and American fans into a frenzy, with them shouting, "The center of world football is in the Premier League, and the center of the Premier League is in Manchester!"

However, compared to these large sums of tens of millions...

Milner's last-minute transfer to Liverpool in the Premier League transfer market caused another stir.

This was originally a technical transfer by Manchester City, as Milner no longer holds a starting position at the Manchester City, and the player himself was unwilling to accept a substitute role in order to secure a place in Europe next year. This was an agreement reached between the player and the club.

However, Milner's transfer, given that he had played for Manchester City for five years, was sensationalized by some newspapers with ulterior motives.

It's often said that the UK media is difficult to deal with, precisely because they love to speculate wildly, thinking they can see the big picture from small details, when in reality it's all due to narrow-minded nationalism.

Back when Tang Long joined Manchester City, the two major UK newspapers, the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph, representing the left and right wings respectively, had already engaged in a public debate over the matter.

Milner's departure has given the Daily Telegraph more material to write about!

Milner, who lost his position and was forced to leave Manchester City because of Tang's arrival, is just a microcosm of the current living conditions of the UK.

"Countless foreigners have flooded into our country, and with their superior work skills, they have taken jobs that should belong to native UK people."

"As England international, even if Milner leaves Manchester City, he can go to Liverpool or return to the Aston Villa, continuing to earn a weekly wage of Pound Sterling 100,000 and live a comfortable life."

"But look at those ordinary jobs: truck drivers, McDonald's cashiers, auto factory workers, municipal cleaners... countless jobs have been taken away, and we watch helplessly as our fathers and mothers lose their jobs and are unable to support their children."

"What can they do when they lose their jobs? Not everyone is Milner; not everyone can seamlessly find another satisfactory job after losing their current contract."

"Every resident with the right to vote, for your jobs, for the future of your children, please cast your precious vote in favor of Brexit in next year's referendum!"

The left-wing newspaper the Guardian scoffed at this claim.

They felt that making such a big deal out of a player's transfer was not only far-fetched but also ridiculous!

The Guardian, along with the Times and the Daily Telegraph, is known as one of the three major newspapers in UK. It originated in Manchester, and although its headquarters moved to London fifty years ago, the Guardian has clearly not forgotten the red-brick city in UK Midlands where it was born.

"What the Daily Telegraph said is absurd. Fans pay money to watch the Premier League for high-level competition. If Don is better than Milner, why can't he be a starter?"

"UK has always touted itself as the world's freest market, and football transfers are also a market. If you look at a team's financial statements, you'll easily find that players are recorded as club assets, with clear figures on the balance sheet."

"If Milner stays at Manchester City, his salary won't generate enough revenue for the team, making him a losing asset. Dealing with him promptly is the best way to cut losses."

"On the other hand, a high-quality asset like Tang can continuously generate revenue for the club, bringing both competitive and commercial success. Would we really refuse to accept such an asset?"

"Due to historical and geographical reasons, since the late 19th century, UK has pursued a policy of non-intervention in the affairs of continental Europe, which has been known as 'splendid isolation.' This has also led to our country's long-term estrangement from continental Europe, which is not necessarily a good thing. An open and inclusive UK is our future."

"Some people with ulterior motives are using Tang, a China man, to make a fuss. Their intentions are truly sinister. I hope readers will keep their eyes open and not be fooled."

In this battle for starting positions between Tang Long and Milner, the former emerged victorious.

However, this struggle has been a long and tumultuous affair, and has escalated to a level beyond football.

However, this time, the club surprisingly maintained a consistent story.

In an interview, the coaching staff, led by Pellegrini, expressed their firm support for Tang Long.

"We are a club focused on the competitive aspect of football, and all our choices are based on technical considerations. As for other aspects, we haven't considered them, nor do we need to."

The Manchester City players also provided strong support for Tang Long.

Their relationship with Tang Long wasn't necessarily that good, nor was their relationship with Milner that bad.

However, the objective fact is that Manchester City has very few England players, while Spanish-speaking Faction and French-speaking Faction make up the majority of the team.

They were all foreigners, and many of them, when they first came to UK to play football, were not only unaccustomed to the gloomy weather, but also deeply resented the conservative opinions that seemed to appear out of nowhere in their lives.

Captain Kompany's words resonated deeply. "At Manchester City, we only value ability and team contribution, regardless of where you come from. Tang earned his place through his performance; it's a result of fair competition. Milner's departure is a common occurrence in football, and we should respect everyone's choices instead of using it to incite unnecessary conflict. We are a team, looking forward and fighting together for Manchester City's honor!"

Tang Long, however, remained completely calm and composed, even though he was at the center of the storm.

He repeated to his friend Ronaldo what his agent, Ranocchia, had said to him, "I came here to make their money and take jobs from their own people."

Ranocchia laughed, "We're not making money from the UK, we're making money from the Abu Dhabi United Group. Look at the top teams in the Premier League, where are the UK owners now?"