"English Defenders Are Too Honest. I'll Teach You Some Italian Defenders' Tricks!"
Icardi drove to the training ground in high spirits.
He rolled down the car window, casually placed his hand on the door, and gripped the steering wheel with one hand.
In August, Manchester had a pleasant climate, and the whistling wind filled the car, making him feel refreshed and relaxed.
He overtook every car he saw on the road without ever using his turn signals, swung the steering wheel wildly, and ignored the honking of other cars.
I even drifted around the bend, and the more I drove, the more I felt like I was one with the car, giving me a sense of being a successful person in control of my life!
"GlorygloryIcar~di, GlorygloryIcar~di!"
He hummed a little tune and proudly changed the end of Manchester United's anthem, "ManUnited," to his own name.
"I, Mauro Icardi, am the ruler of this world!"
With a simple phone call, he secured Chivu's assistance in transforming himself into an all-around striker.
Icardi thought he was incredibly capable!
Hey, the difficulties I'm facing right now are nothing. I'll just use my clever brain a little and I'll solve them with ease.
In his mind, a fantastical scene began to emerge: himself dominating the front line.
A move to the wing, a dribble past a defender, a long-range shot, plus a powerful touch inside the penalty area—
This 23-year-old Argentina even felt that once he successfully transitioned, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would be out of the picture.
"When I'm invincible, what's De Bruyne? I won't even need him to pass me the ball. I can solve everything on my own in the attacking third, hahaha!"
"As for Tang, hehe, you're where you are today thanks to Chivu's help, aren't you? You didn't expect that, did you? I poached your teacher to be my personal trainer, I'll make you furious, hahaha!"
In high spirits, Icardi even stopped his car at the entrance of the Carrington Training Complex, a rare occurrence for him, to sign autographs and take photos with fans.
This is definitely big news for the Manchester United fans who are waiting here!
Because Icardi rarely does this; he usually just puts on a cold face, ignores the fans' cheers, and drives off.
As Icardi rolled down his car window to sign his number nine jersey, he said to a chubby, blond boy, "Kid, tell me, what's your dream?"
The little boy sniffled and shouted, "My dream is to get over 90 points in math on this year's final exam!"
Icardi stopped writing and said seriously, "That's too low! Not only do you need to get over 90 in math, but you also need to keep up in other subjects, and all of them need to be above 95. You can't be weak in any subject. You need to be a well-rounded, all-around student who excels in every subject, and then get first place in your class, no, first place in the whole school, first place in all of Manchester, first place in all of the UK!"
A round of applause erupted from the crowd, everyone moved and inspired by Icardi's act of kindness.
"Remember, Manchester is always red!"
Icardi leaned out of the car window and pumped his fist in cheers at the Manchester United fans around him;
The fans were also inspired by his passionate spirit, and applause erupted, creating a lively atmosphere!
Because Icardi interacted with the fans for so long, four or five cars, all Manchester United players who had come to train, were now backed up behind his vehicle.
De Bruyne, sitting in Rooney's car, frowned and said, "What's wrong with Mauro today? Why is he being so enthusiastic towards the fans?"
Rooney yawned, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Who knows? Maybe his wife Wanda gave him Viagra last night, and the effects haven't worn off yet."
It wasn't until Ibrahimovic honked twice from the fifth car in line, leaned out and yelled at Icardi, "Mauro, if you don't leave, I'll run your car over," that Icardi reluctantly started his car and said goodbye to the fans.
Icardi went to the locker room, changed his clothes, and then went to find Chivu.
As agreed by the two, Chivu will arrive at Carrington training ground in the morning to officially sign a four-year contract as a technical analyst with Manchester United.
However, Icardi looked around but couldn't find Chivu.
Seeing that it was still early, he went to train.
However, Chivu was still nowhere to be found even after training ended at 10:30.
Icardi asked coach Pellegrini curiously, "Boss, hasn't Mr. Chivu arrived yet?"
Pellegrini glared at him, didn't answer, and walked away with a stern face, looking very unhappy.
Icardi sensed something was wrong and was about to call Chivu to ask when a notification popped up on his phone.
Inter Milan legend Chivu joins Manchester City as Guardiola's new assistant coach.
Icardi thought he was seeing things, so he quickly clicked on it and saw that it was indeed a picture of Chivu and Guardiola shaking hands, with a huge and eye-catching Manchester City logo above them!
"Shit! What's going on?!"
Icardi's mind went blank for a moment, and he dialed Chivu's number, demanding to know what was going on.
Chivu apologized over the phone.
"I'm sorry, Mauro, but I feel that Manchester City is a better fit for me than Manchester United. But that's okay, I'll be in Manchester long-term anyway. If you have any thoughts on football and need my answers, feel free to come to me anytime."
Icardi tried to say a few more words, but then a familiar voice rang out.
"Mr. Chivu still prefers to be with us, but of course you can also come to me, Mauro brothers," Tang Long laughed. "I heard you want to switch to playing as an all-around striker. Want to learn? I can teach you!"
"You can come to me too," Ranocchia chimed in, "But I can only tell you the opposite: how to defend against an all-around striker."
A burst of laughter came through the microphone.
Even if Icardi is stupid, he'll understand what's going on by now.
Chivu was snatched away by Tang Long and Ranocchia!
With a trembling voice, he cursed, "You two are despicable people! I clearly made the agreement with Mr. Chivu first, so why did you steal my man halfway through? What you're doing is immoral! I'm sending a lawyer's letter, I'm suing you!"
Enraged, he slammed his phone onto the locker room floor, then lay down and threw a tantrum, yelling incomprehensible Spain slang.
De Bruyne his tracks, dumbfounded.
Mauro, who was just chatting and laughing with the fans at the gate a moment ago, suddenly changed his mood?
"Who messed with this guy again? Is he crazy?!" De Bruyne Icardi and said to Rooney beside him.
Rooney watched Icardi roll around on the ground, groaning in pain, and found it all quite amusing.
"This is exactly how my first-grader reacted when his favorite toy was taken away."
Tang Long and Ranocchia believed that Chivu's smooth entry into Manchester City, and even his appointment as Guardiola's assistant coach, was largely due to their careful recommendation to Guardiola.
Little did they know that Guardiola's first-team coaching staff had long been hoping for a coach with a background as a star defender like Chivu to join them.
Young England center-back John Stones is a rough diamond waiting to be polished.
Chivu, who started playing as a center-back at Roma, was able to provide Stones with guidance in both ball distribution and defensive details.
Guardiola hopes that with Chivu's arrival, he can pass on his experience to Manchester City's defense.
Meanwhile, Guardiola's assistant coach Rebić had long been considering leaving due to health reasons.
Guardiola originally wanted his trusted scout Raymond to succeed him as assistant coach, but Raymond preferred to be a scout who travels all over the world and was not interested in the assistant coach position.
Chivu, 36, has only been retired for a few years and is in his prime. He has also gained extensive experience with the coaching staff of Inter Milan and the England national team, especially through major tournaments like the UEFA European Championship. His skill level is certainly there.
Given his status as a top-tier player during his playing career, Guardiola believed that this young Romania should be given a chance, a stage to showcase his talent.
Chivu himself also cherishes the opportunity to work with the renowned coach Guardiola!
Compared to Mancini, Guardiola is more famous and has a higher status, is younger, and is more direct in his speech and actions. He likes to discuss a single tactical detail with Chivu for one or two hours without stopping.
Guardiola's way of thinking also impressed Chivu, who seamlessly integrated his work and immediately threw himself into training with great enthusiasm.
In particular, following Guardiola's instructions, he focused on coaching Stones.
"Come on, young man, you England defenders are all too honest. Let me teach you a few tricks of the Italy defenders!"
Soon it was August 20th, Manchester City visited Stoke City to kick off the second round of the Premier League...