Returning to Manchester with the UEFA Super Cup trophy, the Manchester United players received a warm welcome.
"Ling, want to come see my donkey with me?" Havertz enthusiastically invited him.
"Sure, I don't have much to do anyway."
The two arrived at a farm on the outskirts of Manchester and entered a luxuriously decorated donkey shed.
'Hee-haw.'
"Ling, it really likes you!"
Havertz stroked the donkey's head and then made a suggestion. "It's about to give birth to a little donkey soon. How about naming it Ling?"
Silence filled the donkey shed.
"What's your donkey's name again?" Ling asked with a frown.
"Kai Havertz!"
Havertz proudly raised his head. "Of course, it also has a nickname — Cola."
He felt that the donkey was like family, bringing him strength and peace.
Cola seemed to sense Havertz's mood, nuzzling into his arms while making hee-haw sounds.
"Oh, I heard Müller likes raising horses. Is his horse named Heynckes?"
Ling suddenly had a brilliant idea.
"Yeah. Back when I was at Bayer Leverkusen, I even took Cola to race against Heynckes. It's a shame we didn't win."
Havertz's face was full of regret.
But should a donkey even be able to outrun a horse?
"How about naming the unborn donkey Mourinho?"
Ling tried his best not to laugh. "I think the boss would be very happy."
"Great suggestion!"
Havertz patted Cola's head. "Then it'll be named Mourinho from now on. I think this name will bring it strength. When it grows up, I'll take it back to Germany. I refuse to believe it can't outrun Thomas's horse."
Ling fell silent.
The boss probably would not get angry.
Probably.
The two wandered around the farm for quite a while before returning to the Carrington training base.
After a month and a half of renovations, problems like leaks, air conditioning issues, and peeling walls had mostly been resolved.
Ling was just about to tidy up his room, since he sometimes stayed at the base to avoid the hassle of driving home.
Unexpectedly, he saw Kanté on the phone.
The little bald egg sheepishly covered the microphone and forced a smile at Ling.
Many players faced a common problem after becoming famous.
Being bled dry!
Kanté was a typical example, perhaps because of his personality, which made him an easy tool for ill-intentioned people trying to make money.
From 2013 to 2019, Kanté changed 11 agents, but this had not been entirely his intention.
Back when Kanté won the Premier League title with Leicester City, he returned to his hometown and was even pulled into a black van, where a real pistol was placed on his knee.
"Your agent — either you leave him, or we'll kill him."
Relatives, friends, former teammates, former coaches, and all kinds of people treated Kanté as a golden goose.
Kanté could not even remember how much money he had lent out.
Because he was afraid of being called a miser, people kept bleeding him dry.
Good people were always bullied by bad people.
It was a simple truth.
People often said Kanté should have joined Juventus.
Because the Italian mafia — no, the powerful Agnelli family — would have helped Kanté solve all his troubles.
"We still have many matches to play together in the future."
Jeremy Ling noticed Kanté's phone, its screen already cracked. "If you have any problems, don't worry about bothering me. Just tell me. If I can't solve it, the club will have a way."
Besides, if even the club could not solve it, Mendes had been an agent for so many years and naturally had connections across Europe.
Not exactly influence in both lawful and unlawful circles, but at least he could get a word in.
"That... Ling, I'm about to renew my contract with Adidas, but I signed a marketing management contract with Hiyari, and the offer in that contract is really too low."
Kanté hung up the phone, hesitated for a moment, and said, "But my former agent Duis is also demanding payment. Many people want me to settle it privately, but don't you think going to court would be better?"
He felt Ling was a good person and would not cheat him.
"Resolving it through legal means is definitely the best choice. If you don't have a suitable team, let the club's legal department handle it."
Ling nodded.
Trying to reason with shameless people only dragged you into the mud.
It was better to be direct.
Given Kanté's current value, Manchester United would be more than happy to help him solve his troubles.
After all, although money was king nowadays, human relationships and social etiquette still mattered.
Manchester United's management might not understand football perfectly, but they had no problem with business.
Seeing Kanté relax considerably, as if a burden had been lifted from his heart, Ling pulled a phone from his bag and said, "It's a gift from the sponsor. I prepared one for each of you."
Hearing that everyone got one, Kanté grinned and accepted it.
He was right.
Ling was a good person!
...
Time flew by, and it was August 11th.
The first round of the 2019–20 Premier League season arrived.
There had been a small incident in between.
Havertz's donkey gave birth, and the foal was named Mourinho.
And he happily tweeted about it!
Ling then tagged Mourinho and posted 150 laughing emojis.
📱 @KaiHavertz29 ✔
Welcome to the world, little Mourinho. May you grow strong, stubborn, and impossible to beat in a race!
📱 @JeremyLing7 ✔
@Mourinho 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
📱 @Trey ✔
Havertz named his donkey Mourinho and Ling tagged the boss with 150 laughing emojis. This club is not serious!
| ↳ 📱 @StretfordEndTom
| Reply: Training tomorrow is going to be a war crime.
The next day, Havertz was ordered to undergo three months of intense muscle training for stepping onto the pitch with his left foot first.
Actually, this was for his own good.
The physical intensity of the Premier League was much higher than the Bundesliga.
Players like Mkhitaryan had struggled to adapt after arriving in England because of physical issues, and if Havertz wanted to establish himself firmly at Manchester United, he had to strengthen his body.
Moreover, as Mourinho put it:
"You're as skinny as a donkey. Build muscle like a horse!"
...
Old Trafford.
Manchester United dressing room.
"Did you know?"
Ling spoke cautiously. "Tita told me a couple of days ago that the gaffer has been teased by his peers lately. They keep asking when he turned into a donkey."
Havertz leaned against the locker and gave Ling a resentful look.
Manchester United was so complicated.
He wanted to go back to Bayer Leverkusen.
Mourinho pushed the door open.
"Ling, you've gained quite a bit of weight during the break. You'd better lose it before the international break. I've already prepared a training plan for you."
Ling fell silent.
He did not have too many objections.
He really did need to lose a little weight to maintain the balance between agility and physicality.
It just sounded a bit like revenge!
...
Soon, the match kicked off with the referee's whistle.
Compared to the UEFA Super Cup, Chelsea's tactics had clearly matured a little.
To be honest, Lampard was not as clueless as people imagined.
But compared to players-turned-managers like Deschamps, Zidane, Ancelotti, Guardiola, and others, he was indeed still quite clueless.
Rüdiger continued with his "armpit-sniffing" style of defending, trying to limit Ling's impact.
But he overestimated his own ability.
The German's defensive skills were not yet as polished as they would become in the future.
In the 37th minute, Sandro delivered a cross from the flank. Ling outmuscled Rüdiger and connected with a powerful header.
Kepa, the goalkeeper-coach, made a crucial save.
However, Grealish, with his sturdy calves, calmly slotted home the rebound after a challenge with Christensen.
The match ultimately ended with Manchester United defeating Chelsea 3–0.
After the match, Lampard said admiringly, "Mourinho is my lifelong teacher. I've learned so much from him, and that will always be my most precious asset."
"Now, regarding today's match, I don't think the gap between us and Manchester United is that big. In fact, we were very close to turning the situation around at times."
"Lastly, I remain the most suitable person to turn Chelsea's fortunes around. If we hadn't lost our summer transfer window eligibility, we definitely wouldn't be facing these issues. Without the right players, you can't have a good squad."
The reporters in the audience gave him a mental thumbs-up.
Pre-match declarations, silence during the match, post-match reversal.
He had truly mastered this routine.
Blue Hypocrite.
📰 Sky Sports: Manchester United Open Premier League Season With 3–0 Win Over Chelsea
📰 BBC Sport: Grealish Scores on League Debut as United Beat Lampard's Blues
📰 Manchester Evening News: Mourinho Beats Lampard Again as United Begin Title Defence in Style
📰 The Athletic: Chelsea Show Improvement, But United's Machine Still Too Strong
📊 Hupu Player Ratings — Manchester United 3–0 Chelsea
📱 @HupuFootballCN
Kepa: Dull compared to De Gea.
📱 @HupuFootballCN
Barkley: King of preseason, missing person when the real season starts.
📱 @HupuFootballCN
Mount: Could rely on his looks, but insists on relying on talent.
📱 @HupuFootballCN
Little Ling: Daddy.
📱 @HupuFootballCN
Grealish: A qualified meat shield with expensive calves.
📱 @UnitedStand ✔
Grealish already scoring, drawing fouls, and annoying defenders. Perfect Mourinho signing.
| ↳ 📱 @VillaFaithful
| Reply: Told you. He'll frustrate you for 70 minutes and then win the match somehow.
📱 @ChelseaBlueTalk
Lampard saying we were close to victory after losing 3–0 is exactly the confidence I need in job interviews.
When the first round of the Premier League concluded, the other major contenders had also started strongly.
Manchester City beat West Ham United 5–0.
Liverpool beat Norwich 4–1.
Arsenal defeated Newcastle United 1–0.
Tottenham beat Aston Villa 3–1.
"Everyone's really strong!"
Havertz was a little worried.
Would he fail to win the league title as soon as he joined Manchester United?
"Arsenal will fade by spring, and Tottenham aren't much of a threat either."
Maguire said this nonchalantly. "Only Manchester City and Liverpool are our main competitors."
"Never underestimate others, or you'll definitely pay the price."
Nemanja Matić gave his advice as someone who had been through enough battles.
...
Matches at the start of the season were often boring because teams had not fully gelled yet.
Fortunately, Manchester United had a favorable schedule, facing no other strong teams besides Chelsea.
3–1 against Wolves.
2–0 against Crystal Palace.
1–0 against Southampton.
By the end of August, everyone suddenly realized that both Manchester United and Liverpool had started the league with four consecutive wins.
Manchester City, having drawn with Tottenham in the second round, trailed Manchester United and Liverpool by six points and temporarily ranked third in the standings.
📰 Sky Sports: United and Liverpool Perfect After Four Rounds as City Drop Early Points
📰 BBC Sport: Mourinho's Champions Begin Title Defence With Four Straight Wins
📰 Manchester Evening News: United's Pragmatic Start Shows Mourinho Has Learned From Last Season
📰 The Athletic: Premier League Title Race Already Taking Shape: United, Liverpool, City
📱 @PremWatch ✔
Four games in and United already look ruthless again. Not always pretty, but brutally efficient.
📱 @LFCView
Liverpool perfect. United perfect. City already chasing. This season might be insane.
📱 @CityZenBlue ✔
Six points behind in August is annoying, but not fatal. Still, drawing Tottenham that early hurts.
📱 @UnitedStand ✔
3–1, 2–0, 1–0. Mourinho has started the season collecting points like rent.
Entering September, Ling and Mourinho flew to Monaco to attend the 2019–20 Champions League draw ceremony.
After that, Ling would report directly to St George's Park to prepare for England's upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers.
Truth be told, Bulgaria and Kosovo were not opponents England should fear too much, and Southgate initially considered managing Ling's minutes carefully.
But the international break lasted nearly half a month, and England had two matches scheduled.
Since Ling had only recently joined the national-team setup, he felt it was better to use this opportunity to build chemistry with his new teammates.
After all, wearing England's shirt was no longer just a headline.
It was now part of his football life!