Super Wingstorm

The next morning.

Winston Bogard, who always arrived at work just in the nick of time, had actually come to De Toekomst early.

Yang Yang was startled by him the moment he got to the gym.

Before they had even exchanged a few words, the fitness coach pulled Yang Yang toward the medical room.

”Starting today, you’ll have a routine physical every day, especially to check for muscle fatigue. And from now on, a masseur will be available for you after your cycling training.”

”Huh?” Yang Yang was stunned for a moment.

Bogard had no idea that Yang Yang had gotten the wrong idea and thought he simply hadn’t understood. ”To massage your muscles.”

”Oh,” Yang Yang nodded immediately.

But soon, another question popped into his head. ”Why?”

This was special treatment he didn’t usually get. Why was it suddenly being offered to him?

Bogard shrugged. ”I don’t know. You can ask in the coach’s office in a bit. Ronald wants to see you.”

Yang Yang was full of questions, but he knew Bogard wouldn’t say anything more, so he didn’t press the issue and cooperated fully with the examination.

It wasn’t a very complicated physical, and the report was ready quickly. It was sent directly to the head coach’s office.

To Yang Yang’s surprise, not only was Ronald Koeman there, but also assistant coach Luther Carroll and physical coach Jan Kruitenberg. With Bogard there as well, the whole scene was a bit unexpected.

’What’s going on?’ Yang Yang wondered. ’Did I overdo it with my training?’

Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll looked over Yang Yang’s physical report very seriously, both nodding in agreement.

”According to the report, your physical condition is excellent,” Ronald Koeman said.

Yang Yang nodded. ”Yes, I feel like I’m in great shape.”

”But we can’t be careless. Fatigue is one of the most significant triggers for injuries. So, after careful consideration, we’ve decided to temporarily lighten your match load.”

”Does that mean...”

”It means you won’t be on the roster for the midweek Dutch Cup match,” Luther Carroll explained more directly.

”But I think I can handle it. My lifestyle has always been very disciplined, and I recover quickly.”

”We know,” Ronald Koeman replied.

Yang Yang’s ability to sleep was truly enviable, even jealousy-inducing, which contributed to his excellent recovery rate.

”But you must understand, you’re only eighteen. Your body hasn’t fully matured yet. Plus, you’ve just started strength and resistance training, so your muscles haven’t completely developed. You’re very vulnerable during this period. Even a minor injury could create long-term problems for your future career.”

At the mention of injuries, Yang Yang’s expression turned solemn.

He knew, of course, how terrifying injuries could be. They were a professional player’s greatest enemy.

”You need to understand, the coaching staff is making this arrangement for your own good. We want you to play healthily, without being plagued by injuries. These next couple of years, in particular, will be a critical period of rapid improvement for you. You must stay injury-free.”

Luther Carroll also advised him with a serious look.

Players at this stage need enough match experience to maintain their rapid progress, but they also have to avoid injuries. It’s a very difficult balance to strike.

”You know Arjen Robben, right?” Jan Kruitenberg asked.

Yang Yang nodded. The Eindhoven winger who joined Chelsea last summer.

”Robben is a classic example of shouldering too heavy a match load too early. In fact, he was already getting injured frequently last season. After joining Chelsea this season, his injuries have continued to be very frequent.”

As he spoke, Jan Kruitenberg handed Yang Yang a data sheet. It was Robben’s appearance record since his debut.

He debuted for Groningen at sixteen. After two substitute appearances following his first match in December, he immediately became a starter. He then played the full ninety minutes for over a dozen consecutive matches, and Robben suffered his first injury in May.

In his second season, between the ages of seventeen and eighteen, he played twenty-eight league games and six cup matches, all as a starter, and almost always for the full game. This led to him being injured twice, in August and November, sidelining him for a month each time.

After moving to Eindhoven, he was a starter for nearly every match except the Dutch Cup in his first season, playing the full ninety minutes. But in his second season, in 2004, he was recovering from a major injury from the end of February until the end of the season.

This reminded Yang Yang of what many people had said: if Eindhoven hadn’t been without Robben last season, it wouldn’t have been impossible for them to overturn Ajax and win the title.

It was precisely because of Robben’s injuries that Manchester United’s Ferguson had reservations about him. He had wanted to observe him a while longer, but unexpectedly, Chelsea beat them to the punch that summer.

And what was even more unexpected was that Robben got injured again right after joining Chelsea, sidelining him until the end of October.

Holding Robben’s match record, Yang Yang felt his heart pound with apprehension.

As a professional player, although he was just looking at a bunch of numbers, he could imagine the meaning behind them.

Robben had clearly been overused!

”Robben’s situation is very similar to another former Eindhoven center-forward, Van Nistelrooy. Eindhoven really doesn’t do a good job of protecting its players, especially young ones. Manchester United initially postponed signing Van Nistelrooy because he was injured. The Red Devils are very careful about this.”

Saying that, Jan Kruitenberg took out another data sheet and handed it to Yang Yang.

”This is the appearance record for Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo. Take a look. He’s about to turn twenty, but you can see the details.”

”In his debut year, Sporting Lisbon was very conservative in how they used him. He played in every match, but always as a substitute, with an average playing time of around forty minutes per game. That’s the best way to develop a young player.”

This was exactly like Yang Yang’s own experience last season.

”Then he went to Manchester United. Look again. He only started in about half the games; the rest were all as a substitute, and sometimes he wasn’t even on the roster. His average playing time was just over fifty minutes per game. He started focusing on strength training last season and only became a regular starter this season. So far, he’s been starting most games, with occasional substitute appearances.”

Looking at the two different player appearance records in his hands and comparing them to his own situation last season and this season, Yang Yang had to admit that Ajax was indeed handling this aspect very well, no less so than Manchester United.

And they were certainly far better than Eindhoven.

This reminded Yang Yang of what John Reep had told him long ago: Eindhoven was richer and more powerful, but Ajax was better at developing young players.

It now seemed that Ajax truly had a complete and well-thought-out manual for nurturing talent.

”I understand. I’ll follow the coaching staff’s arrangement,” Yang Yang said with a nod.

He believed that Ronald Koeman was also under pressure to get results. As long as he demonstrated his ability, the head coach would surely give him as much playing time as possible. Most importantly, he didn’t want his career to become a history of injuries, like Robben’s.

His idol, Ronaldo, had been plagued by countless injuries, and Van Basten had also retired early due to injury. Yang Yang didn’t want to repeat their mistakes.

”Trust us, Yang. We want you to play in more matches than anyone, but we’re doing this to protect you,” Ronald Koeman explained.

Yang Yang had become the club’s ace. To put him on the bench, or even leave him off the roster, the coaching staff had to provide a strong and compelling explanation to convince him and get him to willingly accept it. Otherwise, it would be very difficult for them to make such a decision.

At the very least, they would have a hard time justifying it to the fans.

Yang Yang wasn’t a stubborn bull. He knew how to weigh the pros and cons and understood the coaching staff’s good intentions.

”I understand. No matter what the coaching staff arranges, whenever I’m on the pitch, I’ll give it my all,” Yang Yang said with full confidence.

The Dutch Cup?

’That’s no big deal,’ he thought. ’The club doesn’t place much importance on it anyway.’

The team’s most important competitions this season were the Eredivisie and the Champions League. After being knocked out of the Champions League, securing a spot for next season’s tournament made the Eredivisie the top priority. He was still a key starter in that competition.

Yang Yang was grateful for the coaching staff’s painstaking efforts, but he also didn’t think Ajax was getting the short end of the stick.

A healthy Yang Yang and a frequently injured Yang Yang would command two completely different transfer fees.

Robben’s transfer to Chelsea was for only 15 million euros, and it was paid in installments.

...

...

Since Yang Yang had given his approval, the club’s technical team quickly signed off on it, and the coaching staff confidently arranged their lineup.

Midweek, for the home Dutch Cup match against Heerenveen, Yang Yang was not included on the roster and instead watched from the stands.

This time, Ronald Koeman deployed a forward line of Ryan Babel, Charisteas, and Wesley Sonck, moving the Belgian striker back to the right-wing position to see if it could reactivate his form.

But the result was disappointing. Wesley Sonck’s performance was lackluster throughout the entire match; he failed to make much of an impact.

Pinaar came on as a substitute in the fifty-ninth minute, but he played in midfield, partnering with Sneijder.

Demuer came on in the seventieth minute, replacing Wesley Sonck.

After coming on, Pinaar was very active in the midfield, repeatedly creating threats on Heerenveen’s right flank with Ryan Babel. In addition, left-back Filipe Luís was also gradually finding his rhythm.

In the eighty-seventh minute, it was Filipe Luís who seized an opportunity, delivering a precise cross from the left into the box.

Charisteas overpowered his opponent and scored with a close-range header, breaking through Heerenveen’s goal.

Since it was a knockout match, conceding this goal forced Heerenveen to press forward. Their players grew impatient and their actions became a bit rough, prompting Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll to protest constantly to the assistant referee on the sideline.

In stoppage time, Ajax launched a sharp counter-attack. Sneijder made a diagonal pass into space, and Demuer beat the offside trap. He drove forward with the ball, laid it off to the left at the edge of the penalty area, and Ryan Babel easily scored with a right-footed shot.

Making the score two-nil!

Watching from the stands, Yang Yang was itching to get on the field and play.