Last season, there were only two people in the team who could play the attacking midfielder position.
David Silva, and Milner himself.
Unlike the elegant and technically outstanding mainstay Silva, Milner is a typical supporting player at Manchester City.
Since he joined Manchester City from Aston Villa for 22 million euros in 2010, playing from age 24 to 29, he has always been in the main rotation but never established himself as an unquestionable starter.
In the just-concluded season, he represented Manchester City in the Premier League 32 tis, 18 of which, more than half, were as a substitute.
Nevertheless, Milner produced his best league stats since joining Manchester City, scoring 5 goals and 7 assists.
This was thanks to Pellegrini valuing his superior physical fitness and running ability over Silva’s, frequently placing him in the attacking midfielder position in the latter part of the season while pushing Silva to roam the flanks;
It was also due to the motivation from the upcoming European Cup — Milner was already 29, and the European Cup next year would see him turning thirty, possibly his last opportunity to represent the England national team in this tournant.
Milner thought to himself: "Tang spent seventy million of the club’s money, his tactical positioning must be as a starter. I just played half a season of good football, and now my starting spot is being taken by a kid not even 20. Losing face is one thing, but if I can’t play and lose form, my chances for the European Cup next year are in jeopardy."
Then he thought: "Mancini just took over as national team coach, he knows , but after so many years, he might not rember soone like . Moreover, he’s just taken up the post, and he must be assessing players everywhere. If he cos to watch Manchester City’s ga and I can’t play, wouldn’t I miss the chance to perform? That won’t do."
After thinking it through, Milner couldn’t co up with a good solution, so he decided to test the waters with his teammates to see if he could gain their support.
He leaned slightly over, turning to his left to his England national team teammate, goalkeeper Joe Hart.
"What’s with this big ho debut ceremony for Tang? Anyone who doesn’t know would think it was ssi and C Luo arriving!"
Hart didn’t say anything, but his jealousy was evident.
"That’s because he’s worth a lot. If I went to Chelsea for 100 million British Pounds, Stanford Bridge would hold a ceremony for too."
Milner nodded and then turned his head to the right, speaking to David Silva, who was staring intently at the stadium’s big screen:
"David, you and I joined Manchester City the sa year, in 2010. You ca from Valencia, didn’t you? You even ca as a World Cup winner back then, fresh off winning the World Cup. This Tang guy, only 18 years old, has barely played a full season in Serie A, and he’s the best midfielder in the world? Feels like he doesn’t even regard you!"
Milner deliberately used a rhetorical trick here.
The phrase "best midfielder in the world" was clearly Berigistan’s promotional spiel, ant to highlight the value of this transfer to the ten thousand fans present, naturally with rhetorical exaggeration.
Moreover, Berigistan said it, but when it ca out of Milner’s mouth, it sounded like Tang Long was boasting about himself.
What was more cunning was that Milner knew David Silva had mixed feelings about Tang Long’s arrival, so saying this was intended to provoke conflict between the two.
Silva glared at Milner, clearly not falling for it, but he didn’t reply either.
However, in the heart of this Spanish midfielder, Tang Long’s arrival made him feel a strong sense of crisis!
Both had similar positions, both excelled at linking play, and both had the ability to make the final decisive pass.
But Silva, born in 1986, was already 29 years old, while Tang Long was a whole ten years younger.
A decade ago, Silva was languishing in Spain’s Celta, hoping to play every week, while Tang Long had already won two championships with Inter in Serie A, made it to the league’s best team of the season, and transferred to Manchester City for a high fee.
It’s foreseeable that Tang Long has greater potential for future developnt at Manchester City.
If I, about to turn thirty, don’t work hard to maintain or even improve my form, being replaced by Tang Long is only a matter of ti.
With this thought, Silva felt a rush of anxiety and a wave of emotion, finally reminding himself silently to keep pushing forward.
However, Agüero was quite happy!
Among the more than 20 Manchester City players sitting in the lower stands, he was making the most noise.
Especially when he saw Tang Long repeatedly making magical assists to Icardi, Agüero applauded loudly, drawing the attention of other teammates.
"Yes! Beautiful, pass just like that, hahaha!"
"Huh? How can he pass so accurately, how did he think of that line?"
"So brilliant, truly a genius level imagination!"
As the highlights finished playing, the stadium DJ, in sync with "Tang is coming!", amidst the cheers of the fans, the ready Tang Long quickly ran out from the player tunnel, stepping onto the turf of the Etihad Stadium for the first ti in his life!
"Wow, this turf feels good underfoot, much better than the field at azza!"
This was Tang Long’s first impression of the Etihad.
"Number 9, hahaha, number 9, I guessed right, Tang is wearing the number 9 jersey!"
This was Manchester City fans’ first impression of Tang Long!
Wearing the number 9 jersey, Tang Long raised his hands, smiling as he greeted the fans.
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