"Both his speed and explosive power have reached an elite level!"
"This doesn't quite match the data from his physical assessment!"
In the stands, AC Milan's chief scout Polly was watching Leon Feng's match in person.
From that save alone, Polly could tell immediately that Leon was different.
'Could this kid have been holding back during his physical assessment?'
'What kind of sense does that make?'
Polly shook his head with a puzzled expression, though he did not dwell on it further.
Some players are simply born for the big stage.
In training and assessments, they tend not to perform at their best.
But once a real match begins and the adrenaline kicks in, they often produce performances that far exceed what they show in training.
On the pitch, the shocks Leon delivered to Polly went far beyond that opening save.
In the 17th minute, Fiorentina's youth team right winger Federico unleashed a stunning long-range strike from 30 metres out.
It was a shot of exceptional quality.
But Leon, drawing on his explosive power rating of 15, reacted swiftly and gathered the ball cleanly into his chest.
In the 38th minute, after Federico drove into the penalty area, he attempted to pull the ball back across the face of goal, only for Leon to collect it directly once again.
Leon's composed performance was clearly giving AC Milan's side a lift.
In the 44th minute, AC Milan's youth team forward Cutrone drove past two defenders in succession, burst through on goal, and slotted the ball calmly into the net to break the deadlock.
One nil.
AC Milan's youth team went into the break with the lead.
In the stands, chief scout Polly broke into a smile.
Watson, seated beside him, smiled as well.
It was now beyond doubt that AC Milan had unearthed a goalkeeper with tremendous potential.
They had struck gold.
"What a shame, though."
"The goalkeeper position is just so unique."
"Otherwise, Leon might have had a first-team appearance opportunity very soon."
Polly shook his head with a faint look of regret.
"Opportunities always go to those who are ready for them."
"I believe that when the moment comes, Leon will seize it."
Watson said with a quiet smile.
As the person who had brought Leon Feng to AC Milan, Watson was naturally filled with anticipation that Leon would cement his place in the first team and deliver outstanding performances.
But no club, regardless of its stature, would rotate their starting goalkeeper frequently.
"Leon, well played!"
"Leon, you were so solid out there!"
Back in the dressing room, the AC Milan youth team defenders crowded around Leon one by one.
Their backline had delivered a fairly poor performance in that match.
Had it not been for Leon's heroics, AC Milan's youth side might well have been trailing by two goals by now rather than leading by one.
That would certainly have earned them a fierce tongue-lashing from head coach Ricardo.
As it stood, they had narrowly escaped that fate.
"Knock knock knock."
Head coach Ricardo appeared at the dressing room doorway and rapped on the door frame.
The group of youngsters fell silent immediately.
Youth team players, compared to those in the first team, were considerably more disciplined.
Individually strong-willed players certainly existed.
But without the ability to back it up, showing attitude in front of the coaching staff was a sure route to getting cut from the squad.
Although AC Milan's academy output had been modest of late, it still attracted young talents from every corner of the world.
Gifted prospects were never in short supply.
"In the second half, I do not want to see any more defensive lapses like the ones you gave them."
"The same goes for the midfield and attack. Take your chances."
"You owe Leon for bailing you out with those saves."
Ricardo said this while turning his gaze towards Leon, his eyes full of approval.
Leon's performance in the first half had given Ricardo absolutely nothing to criticise.
And ever since Leon arrived at AC Milan's youth team, he had consistently been the hardest worker in training.
That quality, in particular, had earned Ricardo's deep admiration.
Talented and relentless in training.
How could a player like that fail to make it?
Ricardo had already begun to let his imagination run ahead.
Although Donnarumma had been in exceptional form recently, keeping a clean sheet in five consecutive matches, he was still only 15 years old.
At that age, a goalkeeper was bound to experience significant inconsistency.
Leon, at 18, was more mature in every respect by comparison.
Ricardo had already begun envisioning a more composed and commanding AC Milan youth team with Leon guarding the goal, one that would enable him to push his own career further up the ladder.
To a position like first-team head coach, perhaps.
After all, had not current AC Milan first-team head coach Inzaghi been promoted from exactly the youth team role Ricardo now held?
Inzaghi's situation was far from comfortable at present.
At the halfway point of the Serie A season, AC Milan sat in a lowly ninth place.
That kind of record left Inzaghi's position hanging by a thread.
"Ha, Leon, I'm following you from now on!"
Francesco laughed without a care in the world and clapped Leon on the shoulder.
Ever since Hachim Mastour had been sent out on loan, Francesco had clearly been adrift without his anchor.
Now he had that sense of belonging again.
Beside him, Donnarumma's eyes narrowed sharply as he took it all in.
'What exactly is this supposed to mean?'
'You've only just arrived and you're already fully taking the starting goalkeeper spot from me?'
'No way.'
'After the match, I need to have a serious conversation with the head coach.'
Donnarumma's mind was filled with a growing sense of unease.
In the second half, Leon continued with the same composed display.
To be frank, the gap between youth team football and first-team football was still vast.
Even the Segunda División B was considerably more physical and intense than a youth team match.
Youth football, after all, placed far greater emphasis on technical development.
Placing too much focus on physical conditioning for players aged 16 or 17 was not considered beneficial at that stage.
But this also meant that youth team matches lacked the physical contest of senior football.
The tempo of the game simply could not compare to the first team.
Three nil.
AC Milan's youth team dispatched their visitors from Fiorentina cleanly and efficiently at home.
Fiorentina's youth side had enjoyed 61 per cent of the possession.
They had registered 13 shots in total, with seven finding the target frame, and Leon saved every single one.
What made the performance even more extraordinary was that Leon held on to all seven saves without conceding a single rebound.
Not one second-ball opportunity was gifted back to Fiorentina's youth side.
That was something else entirely.
In the stands, scouts from a number of clubs sat with thoughtful expressions.
Leon Feng's ability appeared to be stronger than any of them had anticipated.
After the final whistle, Leon showed no visible sign of excitement.
It was only once the match had ended that Leon realised he had not earned any System points from this game.
[To put it in the System's terms, a youth team match simply did not qualify.]
If Leon wanted to keep accumulating System points through matches, he would need to make an appearance at Serie A level.
'Does that mean that if I never get called up to the first team all season, I would have absolutely no way to earn System points from matches?'
Leon furrowed his brow.
'Actually, that's not right.'
'At the very least, daily training still earns me 10 System points each session.'
The tension eased from Leon's expression.
Train without end, for as long as life goes on.
Call me the training maniac.
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