Chapter 481 Leicester City: I am a blue fox on horseback, not a sheep!
With Ling Feng's own nod, the preparations for the personal brand began in full swing.
In fact, Mendes had already prepared everything in advance.
After all, with Ronaldo's success story, they can avoid many detours.
The next step is to make a preliminary prototype design, then contact the clothing factory that produces it, produce the sample, finalize it, and so on.
And these things are all done by professionals, and there is no need for Ling Feng, the boss, to ask.
After all, he spends millions of pounds every year to support his entire business team, and he does not just let them live in poverty.
After handing over the relevant matters to the highly motivated Barbara and the team behind her, Ling Feng packed up his luggage and came to St. George Park to report.
What greeted him were the last two games of the season.
They followed the Three Lions to Glasgow, Scotland, to participate in the sixth round of the World Cup preliminaries!
Currently in Group F of the World Cup European Qualifiers, England, which has won five consecutive victories, is firmly ranked first in the group.
And in five games, he scored a terrifying fifteen goals without conceding a single goal!
Worthy of being the "King of Qualifiers"
So scary!
However, this away game in Glasgow, Scotland, may be the most difficult game among the ten World Cup preliminaries!
Because, due to historical issues, England and Scotland are like enemies under the same roof.
Every time a Premier League team comes to Scotland to play away games, it's always a tough battle.
Therefore, when they stepped onto Scotland's home stadium, Hampden Park, they were greeted with boos and insults from all the home team fans.
"Go back, Brit!"
"Fake Squid!"
"Shit, come here and eat daddy's big eagle!"
The Three Lions players were not surprised at all.
I remember that during this season's Champions League group stage, Manchester United also came to Scotland to face the Scottish Premier League hegemon Celtic.
In that game, Manchester United also encountered a very tenacious and fierce defense.
If Ling Feng hadn't dominated the game with his passes and shots, they wouldn't even have been able to escape.
In this game, due to Rooney's return, the captain's armband once again returned to the England flag's arm.
However, Captain Lu, who started the game, performed very poorly.
Perhaps he drank too much wheat juice and whiskey after winning the championship, and his body, eroded by alcohol, looked particularly heavy.
Both his reaction on the field and the feeling under his feet were very slow.
Not only did he miss Ling Feng's one-versus-two cross pass from the wing, but he also lost the ball many times during the game.
Fortunately, the other teammates are pretty good!
In the 36th minute of the game, Ling Feng and Kane played a pass and cut in the middle. Ling Feng entered the penalty area and scored with a low shot, taking the lead.
With a one-goal lead, the British players returned to the dressing room.
Looking at Rooney who was breathing heavily, Hodgson couldn't stand it anymore and directly made substitution adjustments:
"Wayne, you take a rest first. Jesse, warm up and get ready to play!"
Rooney had no objection to this decision and just nodded silently.
In the past few days, he had been in nightclubs and bars for several consecutive days, and tabloids photographed him drunk almost every day.
Although the team won the triple crown this season, it is only natural to celebrate grandly.
However, as the double captain of Great Britain and Manchester United, Rooney is equivalent to the face of the Three Lions and even the Premier League.
But he always conveys this bad image of alcoholism and drunkenness to the outside world, and from time to time he breaks out in recruitment scandals. This actually has a lot of impact on the image and reputation of the national team, as well as the brand of the Premier League.
In addition, his competitive level and condition have also declined sharply, and he has no ability to decide the game at all.
This also made both the Football Association and Hodgson realize that they must start thinking about a new national team and league face.
However, as the most senior player on the team with both reputation and seniority, Rooney plays a huge role in the locker room.
Of course, they don't dare to "take action" on Rooney, the leader of the locker room, for the time being
If this affects the good atmosphere of the current team, it will definitely outweigh the gains.
With Rooney's dismissal and Lingard's appearance, the effect of the substitution was immediate!
In the first half, Rooney lost too much possession of the ball and was unable to run to contain the defense, so England could only focus its attack on the left.
After Lingard came up, he repeatedly penetrated the space in the ribs, which not only stretched the defensive line, but also gave Ling Feng an extra point to pass and receive. England's offense suddenly became smoother.
In less than five minutes, Ling Feng sent an exquisite through ball in the middle, found Lingard who was diagonally entering the penalty area, and completed the goal!
It is worth mentioning that live broadcast footage can also cause trouble.
While focusing on Lingard, the hero of the goal, the camera suddenly turned and focused on Rooney, who was applauding his teammates on the bench.
"Maybe the little tank of yesteryear can no longer keep up with the pace of these young people"
"Time is so fleeting"
Rooney is used to Lingard immediately making contributions to the team after coming off the bench.
After all, he has seen such a scene more than once at Manchester United this season.
No one knows his competitive level and status better than himself.
This season, he has started for an hour and then been replaced by Jesse Lingard within 60 minutes more than once or twice.
As his substitute for the club and the national team, Lingard has repeatedly accomplished extraordinary feats in a relatively short period of time.
In the past two years, England's choice of forwards has been.
Kane, who is in hot form, has firmly occupied the starting position of the single arrow in the 4231 formation, and Vardy, the "rich killer", can only play as a substitute.
However, in the competition with Welbeck, Lingard, Lallana, Walcott and other players, he also fell behind.
If it weren't for his status as captain and locker room leader, Hodgson would have put him on the bench.
Even so, Rooney's status and playing time in the Three Lions are not as good as before.
Looking at the energetic young people on the field, Rooney was very pleased on the surface, but his mood was slightly bitter.
He used to be like these young people, running around the court tirelessly, dribbling the ball forward again and again, smashing the opponent's defensive line to pieces.
Unfortunately, as he grew older, injuries and undisciplined diet caused a serious decline in his physical functions.
He also deeply felt the changes that time had brought to him.
Staring at the court, Rooney could not help but feel a trace of reluctance in his eyes:
Maybe, it’s time to slow down
. . .
In the end, at Hampden Park, England relied on the achievements of Ling Feng and Lingard to defeat Scotland 2-0.
At this point, England, which has won six consecutive victories, ranks first in the group with 18 points, leading Slovakia, which ranks second with 12 points, by as many as 6 points!
For England, it is only a matter of time to advance to next year's World Cup finals in Russia
After a victory, the Three Lions took the earliest flight to France with a relaxed atmosphere. After playing a friendly match against France in Paris, they officially ended the season and entered happy vacation mode.
However, just as the Three Lions generals arrived in Paris, France, Ling Feng came across a piece of news that was closely related to him on social media:
It is rumored that Manchester United is in contact with Leicester City player Harry Maguire and intends to sign the newly promoted international central defender!
Ling Feng didn't find this news too surprising.
With the chain reaction brought about by Lingfeng's butterfly, Maguire not only moved to Leicester City early, but also became a member of the Blue Fox miracle.
Last season, as Morgan and Huth grew older and suffered injuries, Maguire became one of the few bright spots in the Blue Fox defense.
Not only did he help the team stabilize its mid-table ranking in the league, but he also followed the team to the quarterfinals of the Champions League!
Such a steady performance not only made him a rising central defender star in England, but also entered the field of vision of major giants.
He also gained recognition from Hodgson, was recruited into the Three Lions, and made his national team debut in March!
In the World Cup preliminaries that had just defeated Scotland, Maguire and Stones, two central defenders born in the 1990s, partnered for the first time and performed very solidly.
Maguire has a strong body and excellent frontal defensive ability. No one can beat him at high balls;
Stones has good skills at his feet, has the ability to hit the ball, and has good tracking speed.
The roles of the two are different and the division of labor is clear. One goes up and the other fills the position.
Although not as good as the combination of Ferdinand and Terry, it is enough for the current Three Lions.
After all, there are two defensive midfielders, Henderson and Dell, in the midfield to protect the defense. The pressure on the defense is not too great in many cases.
However, the team's defensive improvement is not because the combination of Stones and Maguire is better than the combination of Cahill and Smalling, but because of the existence of Lingfeng BUG!
With Ling Feng, a big daddy who can single-handedly carry the offensive banner, the front four can already play a very threatening offense.
The two defensive midfielders, Henderson and Dell, do not need to press too much to participate in the attack, and can safely sweep and intercept in the midfield.
With the protection of the midfield, the pressure on the back line will naturally be less, and the probability of conceding the ball will also decrease.
This is also the core of the tactical concept of "attack instead of defense"!
And this is precisely the most important reason why Hodgson's Three Lions team has not conceded a goal in five preliminaries and has achieved an impressive unbeaten record in friendly matches in the past two years!
Maguire's performance is obvious to all.
Many people have also seen the outstanding performance of this Blue Fox aerial master in the league, Champions League and national team, and believe that he can replace the "time bomb" Smalling who sometimes gets distracted and become the main central defender of the Three Lions.
Among them, many Manchester United fans even called on the club to win Maguire to enhance the team's defense strength.
And Ling Feng also knows very well that Manchester United is not the first to be interested in Maguire.
As early as the winter window, Mourinho made an offer to Leicester City, hoping to buy Maguire to replace Smalling.
It's just that Leicester City, which was stuck in the quagmire of relegation at the time, was unwilling to let him go, and Maguire didn't want to leave the team at this time, so the transfer deal didn't proceed.
Now, the season is over.
Facing the temptation of Manchester United again, it is time for Maguire to consider his future
Based on the relationship between Ling Feng and Maguire, Ling Feng was not polite at all.
He went directly to Maguire privately and asked him about the transfer in person.
"Manchester United has contacted you?"
Facing Ling Feng's inquiry, Maguire didn't hesitate at all and nodded directly.
"Yes, Mourinho also called me. He said he really wanted me to join."
"What do you think?"
"I want to go to Manchester United! Play alongside you again!"
For Ling Feng and Manchester United, it would definitely be a good thing if Maguire can join the club!
This season, Mourinho's biggest headache is the matching of the central defender position.
Manchester United's two starting central defenders, Bailly, who performed well, firmly occupies one position.
As for the remaining position, Mourinho has never been able to find a trustworthy candidate.
Smalling is easily distracted and makes low-level mistakes;
Rojo is too young, reckless in defense, and prone to getting cards.
In addition to being tough and steady in defense and playing the ball well at his feet, Maguire also showed the temperament of leading the defense.
In Mourinho's view, the central defender combination of Bailly and Maguire is more in line with the team's tactical system.
What's more, under the training of world-famous coach Mourinho, Maguire will definitely make huge progress.
In the field of training defensive players, Mourinho is definitely an expert among experts.
Many outstanding central defenders have completed their transformation into world-class central defenders under his hands!
For Ling Feng, Maguire is his good friend. Playing football with his brother will certainly make him happier.
Moreover, Maguire joining Manchester United can enhance the team's strength.
With Maguire's current abilities, he is definitely better than Smalling and Rojo in Mourinho's system.
In addition, it can also increase his voice and influence in the Manchester United locker room to a certain extent.
Compared with the rumored Lindelof, Maguire is obviously the best answer for Manchester United to strengthen the central defender!
Since Manchester United wants it and Maguire himself is willing, it depends on whether Leicester City is willing to sell.
Due to the previous transfer deal between Kante and Ling Feng, the relationship between Manchester United and Leicester City is pretty good.
However, Leicester City and Ranieri were still a little helpless in the face of Manchester United's offer.
Just go after my sheep, right? !
I am a blue fox when riding a horse, not a sheep!
Maguire may be just one of many potential options for Manchester United.
But for Leicester City, this young central defender who has played for the team for two and a half seasons is a very important cornerstone of the team's defense!
Especially when the two veterans Morgan and Huth are in serious decline, Ranieri does not want to sell the team's defensive core.
However, the tragedy of small clubs is that they cannot retain outstanding players!
After having a phone call with Maguire to confirm the player's desire to transfer, Ranieri also understood that keeping Maguire was almost impossible.
Manchester United not only has a higher platform and higher salary, but also has two old teammates in Ling Feng and Kanter. It is a perfect next home!
Ever since, Leicester City responded to Manchester United’s inquiry:
Want Maguire?
Can!
Give me a price I can't refuse!
(End of chapter)