Upon returning to the Carrington training base, the Man United players, at Mourinho's request, underwent comprehensive full-body check-ups.
Following the team doctor's examination, Ling received unfortunate news—not about his own condition, but about his teammates'.
Lindelöf, Luke Shaw, Bailly, and Wan-Bissaka had all suffered injuries of varying severity, conservatively estimated to require at least a week of rest.
Mourinho became cautious, realizing that future player usage needed to be more scientific.
For instance, he had previously overused Wan-Bissaka, which unsurprisingly led to his current injury issues.
The main reason for the panic was the brutal schedule in December, especially in the latter half: a Premier League match against Cardiff City on the 17th, an English League Cup match against Burton on the 19th, a FIFA Club World Cup match against Kashima Antlers on the 20th, and three league matches on the 23rd, 26th, and 31st—with the 23rd being the massive away game against Liverpool.
...
December 8th.
The 16th round of the Premier League kicked off with Man United facing Fulham.
Nicknamed "The Cottagers," Fulham has only experienced 27 seasons in the top flight during its 143-year history and has yet to win a major official trophy beyond lower-league cups.
As a newly promoted team this season, Fulham has limited strength and currently sits in 19th place with a meager 13 points.
Fielding the full starting lineup was definitely not feasible, necessitating the use of a rotated squad.
Therefore, Mourinho called up half of the youth team in advance, aiming to both give the young players experience and provide opportunities to rest the starters.
Fortunately, the injured players' positions had substitutes available, so Manchester United's normal attacking lineup wouldn't be affected.
Compared to the previous match against Arsenal, Man United's lineup saw little change, except for the right-back position, where Valencia replaced Wan-Bissaka.
The implication was clear: send Lukaku up as a physical punching bag to rest the others.
Peter Drury: "A chilly afternoon here at Old Trafford as Manchester United welcome the Cottagers of Fulham! Mourinho's reason for fielding a strong attacking lineup is simple: to solidify Man United's position in the standings, especially with teams like Liverpool and Tottenham hot on their heels."
Jim Beglin: "It makes sense, Peter. After kickoff, Man United have played cautiously but quickly taken control of the match tempo."
Facing Manchester United's formidable attacking line, Fulham could only put up token resistance.
In the 9th minute, their center-back was too slow in passing and got easily dispossessed by an aggressively pressing Ling.
Peter Drury: "Ling steals it! He's one-on-one with the goalkeeper... AND HE SCORES! Manchester United strike early! A clinical finish from the captain!"
Then Manchester United unleashed their full offensive power, launching relentless attacks!
In the 18th minute of the match, Ashley Young received a pass from Rashford on the left flank, forcefully broke into the penalty area past Denis Odoi, and curled a right-footed shot into the back of the net.
Young had scored his first goal of the season!
Yet just five minutes later, Ashley Young once again broke through on the wing, delivering a cutback from the left side of the penalty area, allowing Ling to follow up and slot the ball home with a simple close-range finish.
Peter Drury: "And Ling taps it in! It's too easy for Manchester United today! Fulham are falling apart!"
Then the match entered a stalemate.
The atmosphere on the pitch remained relatively calm. As Fulham's players grew increasingly physical in their frustration, Mourinho safely substituted Ling for Romelu Lukaku before halftime.
Lukaku shot a resentful glance at Ling before huffing and puffing his way onto the pitch.
Unexpectedly, Lukaku actually found his rhythm.
In the 72nd minute of the match, Jesse Lingard cut inside and delivered a through pass down the middle.
Lukaku shrugged off the defender and calmly slotted the ball into the net.
The match ultimately ended with Man United defeating Fulham 4-1.
Fulham managed to score a consolation goal from a corner kick during the final stages of the game.
...
@RedDevilsDaily: Ling is just inevitable! Two goals in 25 minutes and then he gets to rest. Beautiful.
@UtdTactics: Great rotation from Mourinho today. Getting Lukaku a goal for his confidence was crucial too.
@FulhamFan: We never stood a chance. Ling pressing our center-backs was just cruel.
@EASPORTSFIFA: Who saw that awkward moment with De Bruyne drawing Courtois on our stream? 😬💀
...
December 13th, Champions League group stage sixth round.
Man United faced Lyon.
With both teams already qualified for the knockout stage and their group positions confirmed, neither fielded their main lineup, instead giving their youth players a training match.
The final score was Man United 3-2 Lyon, with Mason Greenwood scoring twice and James adding one goal.
(James is a midfielder from Man United's U18 squad, possessing decent ball progression and attacking abilities. He was previously Ling's teammate in the youth team, though their current statuses are worlds apart).
Currently, Man United had a surplus of midfielders, with players like Scott McTominay and Mateo Kovačić struggling for regular game time.
Even if James made it to the first team, he'd likely be warming the bench.
Therefore, Mourinho decided to loan James to Everton during the upcoming winter transfer window for development, and the youngster had no reason to refuse.
...
Late at night, the Champions League group stage fully concluded, and the list of the last 16 was hot off the press.
Media outlets rushed to report the news, fearing they might lose out on traffic.
Unfortunately, there were no dark horses advancing to the knockout stage this year, as every top club performed consistently.
Group A: Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid
Group B: Barcelona, Tottenham
Group C: Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool
Group D: Porto, Schalke 04
Group E: Bayern Munich, Ajax
Group F: Manchester United, Lyon
Group G: Real Madrid, Roma
Group H: Manchester City, Juventus
Fans worldwide eagerly awaited the draw ceremony four days later, as none of the group runners-up would be easy opponents.
It was entirely possible that a matchup worthy of the Champions League final could be played out early.
Atlético Madrid fans also began to feel uneasy, as they genuinely might draw Manchester United, potentially ending their Champions League journey prematurely. Moreover, given UEFA's usual tendencies, they favored draw results that generated the most buzz.
Fans of other clubs also joined the discussion online.
@FootyFanatic: How did Porto end up as group winners?
@UtdDaily: Their group was full of weak teams, like Galatasaray and other second-rate clubs. Man United easily beat them 3-0 last season!
@ChampionsLeagueStat: Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Juventus all finished second in their groups. Three of these teams have reached the Champions League semifinals in recent years, with Atletico and Juventus even making the final. The drama in the draw is going to be intense!
@TacticsNerd: Among the runners-up, only two are "weaker" teams: Ajax and Schalke 04.
@AjaxUltra: To be honest, don't underestimate Ajax. Our manager Erik ten Hag is quite capable. We have a ball-playing goalkeeper in Onana, hailed as Neuer's successor, a 19-year-old captain in De Ligt, along with De Jong and Ziyech—a young and dynamic central spine. We even managed a 3-3 draw against Bayern!
@EuroScout: True, I watched their matches. They're just missing an explosive winger to complete their squad.
@RedDevilsHQ: I hope Man United draws Schalke 04.
@NeutralFan: That would be boring. Drawing Juventus would be better—Ronaldo and Ling facing off early!
@UtdFaithful: Please no, Juventus has been in great form lately. With Man United's packed schedule in February, drawing a weaker team would be best. Otherwise, it could lead to a complete physical collapse.
@KeaneFan: Atletico Madrid would be good—we can teach Filipe Luís another lesson. He irritates me!
@GoldenBoyWatch: By the way, the Golden Boy Award ceremony is coming up soon. Who do you think will win it?
@LingSZN: Is that even a question? Of course, it's Ling!
...
After Man United's match against Cardiff City on December 17th, Ling boarded a flight to Nyon, Switzerland, accompanied by Mourinho.
"You performed quite well today, scoring two more goals," Mourinho remarked casually on the plane.
"Mainly because Cardiff City were relatively weak, otherwise we wouldn't have won 5-1," Ling replied modestly, though he had only played 52 minutes in today's match, scoring two headers from set-pieces and corners in the first half.
Then the rest of the Man United players found their form, with Jesse Lingard delivering an impressive performance of two goals and one assist.
The two also discussed the English League Cup match on the 19th against Burton, with Mourinho clearly stating that Ling didn't need to play.
"By the way, I previously heard media reports saying that the 2017 FIFA cover stars—James Rodriguez, Eden Hazard, Anthony Martial, and Marco Reus—have all seen declines in their individual abilities since being on the cover. What are your thoughts?" Mourinho was completely different in private compared to when he was working—not rigid or strict, occasionally even cracking jokes.
He knew Ling was on the cover this year.
"I think it's manageable," Ling said with a smile.
For now, his focus remained on football—after all, that was his foundation.
Winning trophies was more effective than any promotional tactics or superstitions.
Mourinho was still pondering how to rotate the squad.
Manchester United's schedule was already packed, and now they had to play two high-intensity club competitions.
The key issue was that Man United had another league match on the 24th—a massive away game against Liverpool.
But before that, on the 20th, they had to travel to the UAE for the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup semifinal, where Man United would face the J-League's Kashima Antlers.
If they could defeat Kashima Antlers, there would be another final to play in three days.
The fatigue from travel significantly affected players' form, leaving Mourinho quite worried.
However, the FIFA Club World Cup didn't carry as much prestige as the Champions League, and Man United held an overwhelming advantage in quality, so there was no need to field the full starting lineup in the UAE.
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