At six o'clock in the morning on July 21, Zhang Kuang appeared at the door of the training base on time.
Wearing a sports suit, he was in high spirits, with no trace of fatigue on his face, and even looked more energetic than before he set off.
Ferguson was standing by the training ground, holding a cup of coffee in his hand. When he saw Zhang Kuang walking in, the coffee in his mouth almost spit out.
He looked Zhang Kuang up and down, his eyes as sharp as a scalpel. "Be more conscious and run 30 laps for 30 minutes. Then the team will have a 60-minute intra-team competition later. You have to play the entire game."
This is a declarative sentence, not a question.
Zhang Kuang said without changing his expression, "Yes, BOSS."
Zhang Kuang went for a run without saying a word, and the teammates next to him trembled all over after hearing this. This punishment was too harsh.
However, every time Zhang Kuang stays up all night, he can always complete Ferguson's strict punishment. The purpose of Ferguson's doing this is to tell other players: If you can run 12,000 meters like Zhang Kuang and then have a 60-minute high-intensity intra-team match, then you can stay up all night.
Which team member can usually bear this, so they can only watch Zhang Kuang run 30 laps in 30 minutes, and then everyone is so impressed that they can only give Zhang Kuang a thumbs up silently.
And the newcomers De Gea, Phil·Jones, and Ashley Young were all dumbfounded. They have such good physical fitness? Are they still normal people?
But Zhang Kuang not only completed 30 laps of running, but also completed a 60-minute intra-team match with high quality, and completed other training tasks for the players with full energy.
It's really scary.
That night, Manchester United had a friendly match with Seoul FC at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
There were nearly 50,000 fans in the stands, and the scene was bigger than the two games at Japan.
Zhang Kuang When I was warming up before the game, there were screams from the stands, and sure enough, they were all female voices.
After the game started, Seoul FC's players played very hard and fought for almost every ball against Zhang Kuang. The physical confrontation in the South Korea league was not weak. Zhang Kuang's clothes were torn apart after several collisions.
But it was useless. Every player who had collided with Zhang Kuang looked at him strangely. They couldn't understand: Is the gap between them and Zhang Kuang so big?
In the 14th minute, Pogba sent a precise overhead long pass in the midfield. Zhang Kuang succeeded in countering offside. After stopping the ball with his chest, he volleyed directly. The ball flew into the far corner against the turf, and Seoul FC's goalkeeper didn't even have time to fall to the ground.
1:0.
Zhang Kuang, who scored the goal, waved to the stands, and the screams of the female fans almost drowned out the stadium's loudspeakers.
In the 28th minute, Zhang Kuang scored the second goal.
This time it was Pogba's through ball at the front of the penalty area. Zhang Kuang caught the ball with his back, turned around and used his body to support the defender, and scored with a low shot with his left foot.
2:0.
After scoring the goal, Zhang Kuang turned around and gave a thumbs up to Pogba. Zhang Kuang felt that this was easier than playing within the team.
France was as happy as a child and ran over to give him a high-five.
In the 41st minute, Zhang Kuang assisted Berbatov to score.
He passed two people on the wing and passed back in an inverted triangle. Berbatov succeeded in pushing the ball in front of the goal.
3:0.
In the 55th minute of the second half, Zhang Kuang completed a hat trick.
This time it was a personal performance in a counterattack. He received a pass from Evra near the center circle, ran wildly for fifty meters with the ball, passed two defensive players in a row, and then shot into the far corner.
4:0.
Ferguson replaced him in the 60th minute.
When Zhang Kuang came off the field, the 50,000 spectators stood up and applauded again. South Korea fans were more enthusiastic about the China star than they were about the players of their own national team.
In the end, Manchester United won the game 4 to 1. Zhang Kuang was the best player in the game with three goals and one assist.
In the locker room after the game, Pogba was excitedly chatting with his teammates about his two assists today.
Zhang Kuang came out of the shower, sat down in the empty seat next to Pogba, and patted his shoulder.
"Paul, come here."
Pogba put down his phone and followed Zhang Kuang to a bench in the corner of the locker room and sat down.
Zhang Kuang looked at him. "You played well today, and both assists were of high quality."
Pogba grinned. "Thank you, Zhang."
"But..." Zhang Kuang changed the subject, "You still have many questions. I have to make it clear to you. This is for your own good. Of course, you can also take it as a bad thing."
Pogba's smile froze.
Zhang Kuang raised a finger. "First, your defensive positioning is poor and your defensive discipline is seriously lacking. You sometimes forget your defensive duties and chase the ball, leaving the opponent with space behind you.
Today Seoul FC had a counterattack that passed through your defense zone. If Ferdinand hadn't made up the ball in time, the goal would have been scored."
Pogba opened his mouth and wanted to refute, but in the end he just lowered his head.
"Second," Zhang Kuang raised a second finger, "the balance of offense and defense is seriously imbalanced, and the distribution of physical energy is unreasonable. You rush forward desperately for the first twenty minutes, and then walk in the midfield for the next twenty minutes. The midfielder of modern football needs to cover the entire field, and you have to learn to manage your physical fitness.
Chapter 342: The pace of handling the ball is slow, sometimes sticking to the ball, and lack of awareness of safety ball. After stealing the ball, you always like to take two steps before passing it. This may be okay in Chinese Super League or Ligue 1, but in Premier League, if you take those two extra steps, it will be intercepted.
Fourth, the connection of quick short passes in a small area needs to be polished. You have the vision for long passes, but the accuracy and rhythm of short passes are not enough. The through ball you gave me today, if I had released the ball half a second earlier, I could have thrown away the defensive player and gained more positions.
Fifth, the use of the body is immature and the timing of confrontation is poor. You often suffer in physical confrontations. You are obviously stronger than others, but you can't find a reasonable way to exert force.
Sixth, you have a single judgment on the situation and will only push forward. When encountering the opponent's intensive contraction, you lack Plan B. Generally speaking, as a midfielder, your defensive awareness and skills are far weaker than your offensive desire and skills.
Maybe you can play the No. 10 position in a small team, but if you want to gain a foothold in a wealthy club, playing the No. 10 position is far from enough.
You said that you are far from No. 10. You want to be a top midfielder but you are strong in offense and weak in defense. There are also problems with your cooperation with your teammates.
Paul, I vouched for you at BOSS, but I don't want the person I recommended to have BOSS give up in the end. Then how credible will my words be in front of BOSS?"
Zhang Kuang After talking about these six points, Pogba became quiet. For the first time, he felt how bad he was and had so many shortcomings.
Vidić was listening nearby and secretly glanced at Ferdinand, who raised his eyebrows.
Rooney was wiping his hair, and the movements of his hands stopped.
Pogba lowered his head, his expression changed from initial grievance to unwillingness, and then from unwillingness to contemplation.
Zhang Kuang looked at him and his voice slowed down a bit. "If you want to become a top star, you must learn to correct your weaknesses instead of avoiding them and escaping from them. If you avoid them and escape from them, then you will always be a player with 75-85 points instead of 85-95 points. If you want to make a lot of money, if you want to be worth over 100 million, it is just a fantasy."
He patted Pogba on the shoulder.
"If you can improve, then everyone will be good to me in the future. If you think what I said is wrong, or you can't change it, then transfer as soon as possible and go to another team to practice before coming back.
Your talent has 90% potential, but the level you are showing now is 80% praise for you against your will."
Pogba raised his head and looked into Zhang Kuang's eyes.
He saw that there was no ridicule or contempt in Zhang Kuang's eyes, only a very serious look.
He was silent for a long time, and finally nodded. "Zhang, thank you, I will think carefully about what you said."
Zhang Kuang stood up. "Okay, I believe you will make the most correct choice."
After saying that, he turned around and left, leaving Pogba sitting alone on the bench.
Rooney followed, waited for the others to go away, and approached him, lowering his voice. "Aren't you afraid of beating him to the point of losing his confidence?"
Zhang Kuang sighed, "It won't work otherwise. China There is a saying that a jade cannot be polished until it becomes a useful tool. And everything I said is true. I didn't deliberately make it up to hurt him. He is too talented and has been praised for too long. If he doesn't beat him, he will be useless."
"Aren't you afraid that he will hate you?"
Zhang Kuang said nonchalantly, "There are many people who hate me, and I'm not afraid of one more person. I am so direct, if it works, it works, and if it doesn't work, it won't work. If he hates me because I tell the truth, it means that he is not worth helping in the first place. He just helps me avoid pitfalls in advance and helps a person who doesn't know right and wrong, so that I can avoid becoming friends with such a person in advance."
Rooney was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "Zhang, what you did is right, you will be a big brother-level figure in the future."
"No, I'm only twenty, don't call me old." Zhang Kuang opened the door and walked out.
Seoul The night wind blew over, bringing with it the unique hustle and bustle of the city.
He raised his head and glanced at the sky. The starry sky of South Korea was not as clear as that of Maldives, but the street lights and human voices filled the city with another kind of vitality.
The phone vibrated. It was a message from Jonathan.
"Nike is willing to pay 12 million US dollars a year to sign a three-year endorsement contract with you. Adidas is also at the same price, with similar conditions.
In addition, there is another message from Real Madrid, saying that if you are willing to join, they will offer you an annual salary of 15 million euros, and they can directly help you terminate the contract by paying liquidated damages."
Zhang Kuang typed two words: "Rejected."
Then he put his phone back in his pocket and strode towards the bus.
The next day, Pogba's agent Mino Raiola flew from Italy to Seoul.
The two talked for nearly two hours in the hotel room.
Pogba repeated Zhang Kuang's criticism of him exactly. Raiola was silent for a long time, which was rare.
"Does what he said make sense?" Raiola asked.
Pogba was silent.
Raiola rarely put away his businessman face. "Paul, that kid is the core of Manchester United, UEFA Champions League MVP, and won the double crown of Premier League and UEFA Champions League.
He understands football better than you and I combined. If he says you can do it, you will have a place at Manchester United. If he says you can't... I guess there is no need for you to stay at Manchester United."
Pogba quickly explained, "No, he has never interfered with the players' personnel and tactics."
Raiola glanced at Pogba with a contemptuous look. "Then how did he influence UEFA Champions League's tactical arrangement for the final? Who are you who pushed to join the first team to train together?
Paul, some things are not as simple as you think. He can use his suggestions to influence Manchester United's tactical layout, and use his suggestions to influence Manchester United's personnel adjustments, which shows that he has begun to establish a voice in Manchester United.
You're still young and you don't understand these things. Just listen to me and I won't harm you. Now even if you transfer to another team, you won't be able to get the salary you want. What's even more difficult is that it's difficult to have a main position. Of course, those small and medium-sized teams may give it."
Pogba clenched his fists. "Then what do you mean..."
Raiola lit a cigar and took a puff and said, "Stay, practice for another season, follow Zhang Kuang's advice, and improve your shortcomings. If Manchester United gives you a substitute position in the midfield, you will fight for that position."
If you can practice it, I can negotiate a higher salary for you when you renew your contract next year. If you can't practice it, then we will seek changes and change teams."
He shrugged and continued, "You are only eighteen years old, don't worry, it's not too late to leave next year."
Pogba took a deep breath and finally nodded. "Okay."
Raiola: "Boy, since Zhang Kuang appreciates you, you should hug his thigh. This is your opportunity, don't miss it."
Pogba raised his eyes and glanced at Raiola. Looking at Raiola's complicated eyes, he nodded in understanding.
--
On the night of July 21st, Zhang Kuang flew back to Hong Kong from Seoul alone.
He will participate in the second stage of the World Cup Asian Qualifiers match between China Hong Kong Team and Malaysia.
July 23, Hong Kong Stadium.
This game is crucial for Hong Kong Team.
The winners of the two rounds will advance to the top 20 (sorry, the top 20 was always written as the top 40, so I changed it here), which is one step closer to World Cup's dream.
There were nearly 30,000 fans in the stands, and the red crowd filled the entire stadium.
When Zhang Kuang came in to warm up, the applause and cheers from the audience exploded like a thunderstorm, and his No. 33 jersey could be seen everywhere in the crowd.
"Zhang Kuang! Zhang Kuang! Zhang Kuang!"
He waved towards the stands, then lowered his head and tightened his shoelaces, bent over and pressed his legs.
Malaysia Team's players are warming up on the other side, and from time to time someone turns to look this way.
Troussier stood on the sidelines with his arms folded and his expression calm.
After more than half a year of training, this old man France has formed this Hong Kong Team into a decent team.
Although the overall strength is still limited, at least the tactical discipline and hard work are on the line.
The rhythm after the game whistle blows is completely under the control of Hong Kong Team.
Zhang Kuang was too much of a threat in the frontcourt, and Malaysia Team had to use two or even three players to double-team him.
But even so, he still scored his first goal in the 18th minute.
At that time, Cris Kang sent a long diagonal pass in the midfield. Zhang Kuang received the ball on the left and faced two defensive players.
He did not rush to break through, but first turned his back to protect the ball. After waiting for his teammates to catch up, he suddenly turned around and accelerated, and squeezed between the two of them.
His explosive power was most vividly demonstrated at this moment. The two men wanted to close the door to attack, but Zhang Kuang's speed was a beat faster than their closing action.
The man has passed, but the defensive player's body is still halfway there.
On the penalty area line, Zhang Kuang volleyed with his right foot, and the ball hit the far corner like a cannonball.
1:0.
The cheers from the audience were deafening.
Zhang Kuang ran to the corner flag area, pointed to the stands with both hands, and then made a 'forward' gesture.
In the 34th minute, Zheng Shaowei broke through from the right and passed the ball. The ball landed a little behind, and Zhang Kuang forced his body to turn and make an overhead hook.
His body unfolded into a bow in the air, and the moment his right foot hit the ball, there was a muffled sound.
The goalkeeper made a save, but it was in vain. The ball went under his arm and into the net.
2:0.
This goal caused the on-site commentators to immediately break their voices.
"Zhang Kuang! Overhead hook! This action is so beautiful, quite exciting, this is the style of the world's number one shooter!" Hong Kong The local commentator's voice cracked.
Zhang Kuang rolled around after landing, got up and patted the grass clippings on his body, with a smile on his face.
In the stoppage time of the first half, Zhang Kuang completed the assist.
He was brought down at the edge of the penalty area. When he took the free kick, he chose to move horizontally. The ball rolled to the feet of Cris Kang, who met the ball and fired an angry shot into the goal.
3:0.
In the 61st minute of the second half, a corner kick attack by Malaysia Team was cleared, and Hong Kong Team launched a quick counterattack.
Zhang Kuang caught the ball near the center circle and ran 50 meters with the ball. Malaysia's three defenders were chasing after him, but he ran faster and faster. After entering the penalty area, he dunked and flicked past the goalkeeper and shot into the empty goal.
4:0.
The whole place was boiling.
Zhang Kuang ran to the sidelines and made a 'three' sign towards the camera.
After the team went 4-0, Troussier replaced Zhang Kuang. After Zhang Kuang came off the field, Malaysia tried to counterattack, but the cooperation of Cris Kang, Li Weilian and Zheng Shaowei helped Zheng Shaowei score another goal.
In the mixed interview area after the game, Zhang Kuang was surrounded by dozens of microphones.
"Zhang Kuang, congratulations on your hat trick today. You are in great shape! What do you think of this game? Are you confident in advancing to the top 20?"
Zhang Kuang was stunned for a moment. "This is just a routine operation. I must be very confident in the top 20 competition."
Reporter: "What do you think of the next round?"
Zhang Kuang: "A score of 5:0 is not safe. Anything can happen in the away game. We will take it seriously."
A mainland reporter couldn't help but ask, "Then do you think China Hong Kong Team has the strength to advance to the top ten?"
Zhang Kuang looked at him. "It's hard to say now. We will try our best to rush to the top ten. The ultimate goal is to qualify for World Cup."
Reporter: "Some people say that if Hong Kong can reach the top ten this time, it has achieved its goal. Don't think about World Cup's qualifications. What do you think of this?"
Zhang Kuang: "I look at it with blank eyes. We put all our efforts just for the top ten? Isn't that in vain? Our goal from beginning to end is World Cup qualification."
"..."
That night, 'Zhang Kuang: I looked at it with blank eyes' became a hot search topic. Zhang Kuang's words were really a bit domineering.
"Haha, I like Zhang Kuang's domineering attitude, 'I look at it with a white eye', so awesome!"
"Zhang Kuang Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to get the World Cup qualification and will be slapped in the face?"
"People said that the goal is to qualify for World Cup, not the top ten competition. Isn't that clear enough?"