Day turned to night.
London.
Puma's new product launch event was attended by dozens of football stars and executives.
Watching the entire Manchester City squad mingling on the other side of the VIP room, Lukaku swallowed hard.
"Ling, do you think we're going to get jumped?"
News had broken a few days earlier that Manchester City's kit sponsor was changing.
Starting next season, Puma would replace Nike as the primary sponsor of the City Football Group.
They would provide kits for five teams, including Manchester City and Melbourne City.
The deal was staggering—a 10-year contract with a sponsorship fee of £650 million.
Ling rolled his eyes, too tired to answer Lukaku's joke.
"Ling, I heard your personal Puma sponsorship earns you this much per year?" Lukaku held up two thick fingers.
"Pretty much," Ling replied vaguely.
He didn't know whether Lukaku meant two million or twenty million, so he simply brushed it off.
Soon, the lavish launch event officially began.
"First, our Wind Super Speed I signature speed boots will officially go into production at the end of March," announced Patrick, Puma's Global Marketing Director, before inviting Ling on stage for a brief interview.
The venue erupted into enthusiastic applause.
At this stage in modern football, only four players had active boots specifically named after them: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Luka Modric, and Kylian Mbappe.
But starting today, there would be one more.
Ling kept his speech short, thanking his agent and the brand representatives.
Next, Puma formally announced its mega-partnership with Manchester City and introduced newly signed athletes like Luis Suarez and Jan Oblak.
Originally, Patrick wanted to invite Jeremy to a private dinner banquet after the showcase, but he politely declined, citing an upcoming match the very next day.
He boarded a train and returned to Manchester overnight.
...
March 2, 2019.
The 29th round of the Premier League began, officially marking the countdown to the season's conclusion.
The champion would be decided in these final ten matches.
Old Trafford.
After a few days of rest, Manchester United's injury crisis had finally eased.
Pogba and Lingard had also proactively approached Mourinho to apologize for their poor training attitudes.
Whether they were sincere or not, only they knew.
So, in today's match against struggling Southampton, Mourinho fielded a rotated lineup, giving Ling—who had played three grueling matches in nine days—a much-needed rest on the bench.
In the 4th minute of the match, Manchester United crafted a great opportunity up front, but Lukaku's close-range shot was scuffed and easily cleared by the opposing goalkeeper, Angus Gunn.
This drew immediate, frustrated groans from the home fans.
Truth be told, if Manchester United didn't have Jeremy Ling bailing them out, they might have tolerated Lukaku's technical shortcomings.
But nothing is worse than a direct comparison.
When fans watched Lukaku waste clear chances, they couldn't help but wish the club would sell the clumsy giant.
Moreover, Lingard and Pogba seemed to be casually jogging around the pitch, lacking their usual bite.
After all, Southampton sat near the bottom with only 27 points!
A relegation-threatened team through and through.
If Manchester United can't comfortably beat them at home, what chance do they have of competing for the title?
However, in the 26th minute, disaster struck.
Southampton full-back Yan Valery found space and unleashed a spectacular, swerving long-range strike from well outside the box.
Even David De Gea could do nothing as the wonder goal flew into the top corner.
0-1.
"Do they still want to keep walking around out there?" Mahrez complained from the bench, shaking his head.
Ling didn't defend his teammates.
To be honest, he was angry too.
No matter what disciplinary conflicts arise off the pitch during the week, they must never affect the effort given on the field.
That's the golden rule of professional football.
After scoring, Southampton grew even more relentless.
It's worth noting that they are informally viewed as Liverpool's "little brother" club due to frequent transfers, and their players were itching to take points off United to help Liverpool's title charge.
Seizing the momentum, they played with a hysterical, physical intensity reminiscent of Atlético Madrid.
They were betting that United's rotated squad wouldn't dare fight them tooth and nail.
After all, if United picked up injuries today, would they still be able to compete in the massive Champions League tie just five days later?
Thus, the frustrating deadlock persisted until the end of the first half.
As soon as the referee blew the whistle, Mourinho turned and stormed down the tunnel without looking back.
"Ling, Riyad. Get ready in the dressing room," Mourinho barked as he walked past the bench.
Ling instantly knew he was going on.
'Thank goodness I have the injury immunity module,' he thought, pulling off his training bib, or even an iron man wouldn't be able to handle this schedule.
"Two substitutions to start the second half: Ling replaces Romelu, and Riyad replaces Jesse," Mourinho announced to the silent dressing room, getting straight to the point and showing zero mercy to the underperformers.
If Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera weren't carrying knocks, he would have substituted Pogba too.
The room fell dead silent, but it was Ling who finally spoke up.
"Boss, Southampton struggles at defending aerial balls and crosses. We could focus our attack out wide in the second half."
"Agreed. The tactical adjustments for the rest of the match will flow through the wings..." Mourinho looked at Ling with relief.
If he didn't have this ace up his sleeve, he probably wouldn't have dared to make such drastic halftime changes.
Before walking out of the tunnel, Ling grabbed Mahrez's shoulder. "Riyad, if you get a yard of space later, just loft the ball toward the edge of the six-yard box. I'll be there."
"No problem," Mahrez agreed readily.
When Ling walked out to the center circle for the kickoff, everyone at Southampton, from the manager to the center-backs, couldn't help but feel a wave of anxiety.
A player's reputation precedes them.
Which Premier League team would dare overlook Manchester United's number 7?
...
The second half began.
Manchester United passed the ball crisply in midfield, advanced aggressively into the opponent's half, and immediately began testing the Saints' defense.
Martin Tyler: "The tempo is clearly much faster than the sluggish first half!"
Gary Neville: "Of course, it's not solely down to Ling's introduction. Mourinho's halftime hairdryer treatment and tactical tweaks played a part too. But if you look closely, United's attack is instantly more coherent with Ling acting as the focal point."
Even Pogba had suddenly found his rhythm and work rate.
Mourinho was clearly making an example out of Lingard and Lukaku.
Though Pogba could be temperamental, he wasn't foolish. He knew he had to step up or face the bench himself.
54th minute.
Kante intercepted a loose ball and played a sharp diagonal pass to Mahrez on the right wing.
"Pass!" Ling shouted.
He drifted near the Southampton center-backs, then suddenly switched his run from horizontal to vertical, shattering the Saints' attempt to step up and play an offside trap.
Fortunately for Southampton, Maya Yoshida was prepared.
The Japanese defender turned and gritted his teeth, chasing frantically after the United captain.
But Ling's explosive first three steps were far too fast, instantly putting him half a body length ahead.
Ling glanced back at the spinning, descending ball, then turned his head to see Angus Gunn rushing aggressively off his goal line.
'Too close for a full swing,' Ling thought.
He adjusted his stride and made contact with the outside of his right boot.
Thwack!
A rainbow seemed to appear inside the Southampton penalty area.
The ball soared beautifully over Gunn's outstretched arms, dipping perfectly for Ling to casually tap it into the empty net on the other side!
1-1!
Old Trafford erupted in thunderous, relieved cheers.
The fans marveled at how effortlessly and elegantly he scored, a stark contrast to Lukaku's clumsy efforts in the first half.
Gazing at the wildly celebrating captain, Maya Yoshida wore a bitter smile.
The two were simply not on the same level.
There was a time when he foolishly thought Jeremy Ling was just a purple-patch player, (a shooting star that burn brightly for only a few months, like Michu the GOAT.)
But then he remembered that even Virgil van Dijk couldn't stop this kid, and his bruised ego immediately improved.
After the match resumed, the situation on the field underwent a dramatic, one-sided reversal.
Amid the increasingly loud chants from the Stretford End, the United players grew more aggressive, firmly seizing total control of the match's tempo.
Martin Tyler: "Luke Shaw overlaps and crosses from the byline! Ling rises highest to meet it... He heads it powerfully into the far corner!"
Gary Neville: "A brace for the captain! Wow, look at that leap—he got half a head higher than Yoshida. Truly living up to the 'Manchester Air Force' nickname!"
Tyler: "In the 76th minute, Manchester United have turned this game completely around!"
The onslaught didn't stop there.
Tyler: "Manchester United aren't giving up on the attack. Pogba finds Ling directly inside the box. Ling holds off Yoshida, spins his man, and fires a devastating volley... Another goal!"
Gary Neville: "He is on fire today, Martin! A second-half hat-trick off the bench!"
Tyler: "And a new Premier League record has been set today! Manchester United now hold the record for the most comeback victories in Premier League history—87 times! I'm already looking forward to the Champions League in five days. What kind of performance will he deliver against Simeone's men?"
In the end, the match concluded with Manchester United comfortably defeating Southampton 3-1 at home, securing a vital three points in the 29th round of the title race.
----
Damn is arsenal really's going to win the league? feels weird man..