Time returned to when the Qatar Consortium had just taken over Manchester United.
Gao Nuo was ecstatic upon hearing the news of Neymar joining the team. Playing alongside his idol was a dream come true for many.
After meticulously observing the virtual Neymar in the system space for an entire night, Gao Nuo met the real Brazilian star, Neymar, for the first time during the team's training the next day. Due to the language barrier and difference in status, Gao Nuo and Neymar only briefly introduced themselves before commencing the day's training.
Having been on many battlefields, Neymar experienced no culture shock after joining Manchester United. He quickly integrated with his new teammates in the locker room and on the training ground. Although his English wasn't great, there were many Brazilian compatriots and Portuguese-speaking players on the team, so communication wasn't a major issue. The team arranged for Neymar to attend English training classes, while Gao Nuo, as Neymar's fan, voluntarily enrolled in Portuguese lessons.
At this moment, Neymar, Bruno Fernandes, and Casemiro were doing passing and running drills. Just like in the system space, Neymar always had a smile on his face; playing football seemed to be a very happy thing for him. After receiving a pass from Casemiro and scoring with a rabona, Neymar pulled Casemiro into a samba dance. There were only a few simple moves, and the usually composed Casemiro looked a bit shy and comical while dancing, which drew laughter from everyone on the training ground. Neymar, even more exaggeratedly, clutched his stomach and rolled on the ground.
Gao Nuo quietly observed from the side, a mischievous thought bubbling in his mind, wanting to see the difference between reality and virtuality. By the end of training, Gao Nuo noticed that the real Neymar's technique didn't seem as formidable as the one in the system. It might also be because Neymar, having just resumed training, was playing too casually. Other than that, he didn't notice much, except that with Neymar, training was much more enjoyable.
A few days later, Pau Torres and Rice successively joined the team. With the continuous arrival of three big-name players, small cliques began to form in the locker room. Neymar and Casemiro led one, closely associated with a group of Portuguese-speaking players; Rice quickly bonded with local players like Rashford and Luke Shaw; Pau Torres was somewhat introverted and often moved with his Spanish elder, De Gea.
These small cliques did not affect the team's unity. It was just that with the reconstruction of Manchester United Football Club, the clearing out of the original lineup, and the addition of new players, the gathered players always needed a period of adjustment.
And in Manchester United, the only Asian kid, Gao Nuo, left a deep impression on the newly arrived big shots.
Gao Nuo, whose speed had further improved, clocked a top speed of 36.6 km/h in a warm-up match, unreasonably beating two defenders and then rounding the goalkeeper to score into an empty net. Besides often putting on a solo show with his speed, Gao Nuo also frequently imitated Neymar's fancy moves during training breaks. Whenever he failed, he would perform viral dances he learned from TikTok. After Neymar, the team gained another lively character, and his cheerful yet resolute personality was hard not to notice.
Gao Nuo gradually excelled in the center-forward position. Ever since the last round of the League last season, when Gao Nuo scored the winning goal for the team from the center-forward position, Erik ten Hag led the coaching staff in a thorough study of Gao Nuo's technical characteristics. They believed Gao Nuo could try playing as a pressing forward. As the name suggests, this involves increasing pressure on the opposing center-backs and goalkeeper in the attacking third, participating more in defense in addition to his primary center-forward attacking duties. This suited Gao Nuo's excellent physical qualities and was Erik ten Hag's favorite type of center-forward under a high-pressing tactic.
He did not disappoint. In two friendly matches playing as a center-forward alongside Neymar and Rashford, Gao Nuo contributed 3 assists and scored 2 goals.
Unfortunately, the coaching staff remained divided on whether young Gao Nuo could handle a starting role. Erik ten Hag was willing to give Gao Nuo a chance, while the English local coaches did not trust Chinese players.
As the team's lineup gradually stabilized and player cohesion improved, Erik ten Hag finally submitted his squad plan for the new season to the club. As mentioned earlier, Gao Nuo did not secure a starting position.
This caused dissatisfaction among the team's new owners, who directly pressured the management to elevate Gao Nuo's status within the team. China's increasingly vast economic strength and the purchasing power of its football market invisibly became Gao Nuo's backing.
Following instructions, the management met with Gao Nuo:
"Gao, as a young player, the club sees your potential. We consider you non-transferable and will give you a regular starting position. We hope that in the new season, you will give your all and fight for the club's honor."
The management's attitude surprised Gao Nuo. His stats of 9 goals and 10 assists in 20 appearances last season had not moved European football, and he hadn't even secured a starting spot. After a change of ownership, the situation had shifted. The direct promise from management was very reliable; unless he failed to perform, a stable starting position in the new season should not be an issue.
Overwhelmed, Gao Nuo immediately conveyed his stance in the transfer market through Li Qiang: rejecting all offers this season and staying in Manchester.
Although the coaching staff had their reservations, with both the team owner and Erik ten Hag siding with Gao Nuo, no one dared to openly object. Gao Nuo's training direction was adjusted accordingly, with shooting becoming his extra practice goal.
Erik ten Hag once again submitted the new season's starting lineup to the club and then confirmed the team's new captain. Vice-captain Bruno Fernandes replaced the departed Harry Maguire as captain. Casemiro's gradually emerging leadership earned him the vice-captain role. Rashford and Luke Shaw were the 3rd and 4th choices for captain.
Before the start of the new season, Manchester United finalized the team's player numbers one last time.
Newly joined Neymar inherited Manchester United's legendary number 7 jersey.
Declan Rice continued with his club number 41 jersey.
Pau Torres chose the number 5 jersey left by Harry Maguire.
Other newly joined players were Renato Sanches with 85, Alexander Nübel with 13, Mario Pasalic with 15, and Wout Weghorst with 27.
Except for Gao Nuo, who changed to the number 9 jersey at the club's request, no one else's number changed.
The one-and-a-half-month pre-season preparation ended quickly. Everything was ready, and the team awaited the arrival of the new season.
The system, which had been silent for a long time, finally released a new task again.
"English Premier League Top Scorer"
"Task Reward: Three Virtual Coaches (Advanced)"
"Task Failure: Close Virtual Training Ground"
Facing such a daunting task, Gao Nuo felt a bit annoyed, and the system's mechanical voice no longer sounded pleasant.