The Red Devils' revival starts with retaining Mourinho

On December 30, in the conference room on the top floor of Building 1 of the Carrington Training Base, the last executive meeting of Manchester United Club in 2018 for department heads and above was in progress; Club Chairman Rowley was sitting at the head of the conference table, his face filled with a satisfied smile.

"Dear colleagues, in the past less than half a year, our Manchester United has achieved remarkable results." Chairman Rowley's voice was steady and powerful, "This is inseparable from the hard work of every player, coach and staff."

People in the conference room listened attentively to the chairman's speech. Chairman Rowley's eyes swept over everyone and finally stopped at the head coach Mourinho who was sitting next to him.

"First of all, I would like to give special praise to our head coach, Mr. Jose Mourinho." Chairman Rowley's voice was full of praise, "Under your leadership, the team has shown perseverance and excellent tactical qualities."

Mourinho nodded slightly and thanked the chairman. His eyes revealed confidence and determination, as if to say that this was just part of his job.

"Mr. Mourinho, your tactical arrangements are always just right. Whether it is the tight layout on the defensive end or the sharp breakthrough on the offensive end, the opponent is unable to defend." Chairman Rowley spoke highly of Mourinho's tactical concept.

Mourinho responded with a smile: "Chairman, this is thanks to the players' excellent execution ability. They work hard in training and go all out in the game. They have made the team brilliant."

"Of course, our coaching staff also contributed." Chairman Rowley looked at the coaching team behind Mourinho, "Your hard work and professional guidance have provided strong support for the team's training and competition."

The coaching staff members all smiled with satisfaction, knowing that their efforts have been recognized.

"We have performed very well in all fronts, which everyone knows, but I believe that everyone here must be very curious about the specific results. So, let's first ask the representative of the coaching team to report to everyone the team's competitive performance in the past six months or so."

"Ruud, let's get started." Assistant coach Van Nistelrooy, on behalf of head coach Mourinho and the entire coaching team, gave relevant reports to everyone present:

First, after 13 rounds of the Premier League, Manchester United has an unbeaten record of 11 wins and 2 draws, accumulating 35 points, firmly occupying the top spot in the Premier League standings; (Arsenal is second with 32 points; Manchester City is third with 31 points, Liverpool is fourth with 28 points, and Tottenham Hotspur is fifth with 26 points.)

Second, Europe In the Champions League, Manchester United beat Juventus of Serie A and Valencia of La Liga in Group H and advanced to the round of 16 as the group leader; they also drew a good draw in the quarter-finals, with the opponent being Schalke 04 from the Bundesliga;

In the other two domestic cup competitions, although in the plan of head coach Mourinho, the cup competition is a stage for young players to train, this group of Manchester United youth players is awesome. In the English League Cup, they have reached the semi-finals. The next round opponent is the dark horse of this season, Queens Park Rangers from the English second-tier league, the English Championship. It should not be a problem to reach the final; the English FA Cup has also reached the quarter-finals. Although the opponent in the quarter-finals is Leicester City, with the current state of Manchester United's young players, there is still hope for advancement.

Manchester United's current performance can be summed up in one sentence: four lines are advancing in parallel!

After Van Nistelrooy finished speaking, thunderous applause rang out in the entire conference room, and everyone was sincerely happy for the club's outstanding performance.

The second speaker was the sports director Solskjaer, who reported on the situation on behalf of the entire club's youth training system:

First, the outstanding young players this season, Jamal Musiala, Jude Bellingham, Nico Williams, Josh Gvardiol, Mason Greenwood, Erling Haaland, Cody Gakpo, Dani Olmo, Marcus Rashford, McTominay, etc. have all re-signed contracts, with a contract period of more than five years, and the liquidated damages have also increased significantly; Hearing this, the joy on the face of the head coach Mourinho could no longer be hidden.

Secondly, the club chairman listed a transfer, and the Reading club has reached an agreement on the transfer of the 17-year-old French player Michael Olise, born in 2001, with a transfer fee of 8 million pounds; but the player will continue to play for the Reading club as a loan player for half a year, and will not join the team until June 15, 2019;

Third, the introduction of a group of echelon players, since Rowe took over the Manchester United club, has been a great boon to Manchester United.United Youth Training has put forward a requirement, which is to improve the signing efficiency of the youth training system, from the original 3-4 weeks to within five days; for young players with real top potential, every effort should be made to get them. Here, Solskjaer specifically mentioned the introduction of striker Alejandro Ganaccio, born in 2004, from the youth training system of Atletico Madrid Football Club in Spain, with a training fee of 100,000 pounds. The player has dual nationality of Argentina and Spain and is currently playing with Manchester United U-16 team; Manchester United Youth Training is not only very happy to pay the training fee, but also provides club jobs for Ganaccio's parents and relatives to facilitate the care of the 14-year-old player.

In addition, Manchester United has added two satellite training centers within a 90-minute drive around the Greater Manchester area, and plans to add five satellite training centers in the first half of 2019;

"In the past six months, our young players have had many opportunities to play in the first team and have performed well. This not only lays the foundation for the team's future, but also allows me to see the strength of Manchester United's youth training system. This proves that we are on the right track. The club will fully support the development of the youth training academy. Cliff, on the basis of the existing budget, transfer another 10 million pounds from the club development fund to the youth training academy; Nicky, the construction and operation of the satellite training center should be accelerated as much as possible. If there are any difficulties in funding, come to me directly." Rowe said firmly.

"Okay, boss!" Cliff Batty (Manchester United's financial director) said.

"Understood, Mr. Chairman." Vice Chairman Nicky Butt said.

"Ed, tell me about the club's commercial promotion." Rowe said to the club's CEO Ed Woodward.

"Okay." Ed Woodward smiled at Luo Lie, and then said to everyone, "In the past period of time, because of the outstanding achievements of the first team, the club's business field has also achieved remarkable results; in terms of jersey sales, with the team's outstanding performance on the field, the enthusiasm of the fans has been greatly stimulated, and the sales of jerseys have shown a significant growth trend. From August 1 to December 15 this year, the club's home jersey sales increased by 178% compared with the same period last year, and the away jersey sales increased by 136% compared with the same period last year, both of which set a record high. Among them, the regions with the largest contribution are the Oriental giants and small Japanese countries in Asia; next, we plan to In addition to the home and away jerseys, we combined Manchester United's traditional elements with modern fashion to design fan-version cheering jerseys, which not only satisfied fans' desire to support the team, but also became part of the fashion trend. "

"This is a good idea. I have another suggestion. We can invite designers from the Eastern countries to combine Manchester United's traditional elements with Eastern art and launch a limited edition jersey for fans in the Eastern countries, small countries, Korean countries, and Southeast Asian regions. The gifts with Eastern elements at the Christmas party a few days ago were very popular. OK, Ed, continue..."

"Okay, I will arrange someone to implement the boss's proposal as soon as I get it." Ed Woodward said anxiously, "The sales of club peripheral products are also very successful. From commemorative badges, scarves to key chains and other small accessories, to large team-themed sculptures and collectibles, each peripheral carries the glory and history of Manchester United and is deeply loved by fans and collectors. We are constantly innovating, combining the team's important events and milestones, and launching commemorative peripheral products, which has triggered a buying frenzy among fans."

Ed Woodward paused, and seeing that Luo Lie did not mean to interrupt, he continued, "AON Aon Insurance is very satisfied with the team's overall performance this year, and intends to extend the sponsorship of the team's training suit chest advertising and the naming rights sponsorship of the Carrington training base for five years on the basis of the existing contract, until June 2026."

"It's okay to extend the contract, but the sponsorship amount must be increased. My psychological price is 30 million pounds/year, and the minimum cannot be less than 28 million pounds/year. Anyway, there are still three years, so there is no rush to talk slowly. As long as we perform well, they are anxious." Luo Lie said with a smile.

"In the first half of this year, TAG Heuer created a smart watch specifically for the club: the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 smart watch Manchester United special edition, which achieved excellent auction and sales results. We are interested in strengthening cooperation with the club and have proposed to sign a contract as the club's official timekeeping partner."

"Yes, TAG HeuerHeuer has a good reputation for quality and has had a pleasant cooperation with the club in recent years. You can talk to them. "

"Okay, boss. "Ed Woodward continued, "NIKE (Manchester United's jersey sponsor), DHL (Manchester United's logistics partner), BWIN (Manchester United's betting company partner), THOMAS COOK (Manchester United's official travel agent partner), HUBLOT (Manchester United's watch sponsor), TURKISH AIRLINES (Manchester United's official airline partner), SMIRNOFF (Manchester United's official alcoholic beverage partner), SINGHA (Manchester United's beer partner), EPSON (Manchester United's official equipment provider); Toshiba (Manchester United's medical system sponsor) have all expressed their recognition of the team's performance this season." Luo Lie and the attendees listened and nodded.

"Oh, by the way, Chevrolet expressed its gratitude for the club's creative team appearance at the Ballon d'Or ceremony earlier this month, and specially sent you a Corvette ZR1 and a Silverado Phantom. The cars have now arrived at the Carrington base." Ed Woodward continued.

"I kept the Corvette ZR1. As for the other one..." Rowley paused and said to Van Nistelrooy. "Well, Ruud, I remember that car you bought when you were playing in the club a few years ago. It's been almost ten years, so let's change it. This Silverado Phantom is for you to drive."

"Ah? Thank you, boss." Van Nistelrooy had never expected that such a big surprise would hit him on the head at this stage.

Seeing Van Nistelrooy's embarrassment, he suddenly burst into laughter.

In a relaxed atmosphere, Ed Woodward continued, "The club has received several invitations to visit, inviting us to play summer friendly matches in July and August 2019, including Haicheng Xiagang Club from the Eastern Power, Lao Guangheng Small Club, Yokohama Daban Club from the Small Japanese Country, the Emirates National Team from the Middle Eastern Oil Country, and several teams from the United States."

"Forget about the ones from the United States, let's go through the Asian route this summer, the Eastern Power, the Small Japanese Country, and the Middle Eastern Oil Country can all talk; by the way, there is also the big country of Saudi Arabia, I still owe them a favor, Lina, Mr. Mike Ashley, please help Mr. Woodward contact them."

"Okay, boss." Lina said.

"The winter transfer window is about to open, so let's focus on transfers." Luo Lie looked around at everyone present and continued, "In the transfer market, we must also maintain a keen insight and introduce outstanding players suitable for the team to further enhance the team's strength. As for the transfer budget, you don't have to worry too much. The club has prepared a transfer budget of 180 million pounds. If there are suitable players, we must decisively take them."

"Our transfer negotiation department has been in very close communication with Director Solskjaer and Mr. Mourinho, and has been paying attention to the dynamics of the transfer market to find suitable additions for the team. The current focus is on the central defender that the team urgently needs." Jason Wilcox, head of Manchester United's transfer negotiation department, responded.

"Mr. Jorge Mendes has replied that Mr. Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira (Pepe) has agreed to the club's contract in principle, but he wants to talk to you in person about the contract term before confirming it; Mr. Jorge Mendes and Mr. Kepler Laveran Lima Ferreira (Pepe) will meet you at 10 o'clock on January 6, 2019, to have a face-to-face meeting with you, then sign the contract on the spot, and receive a comprehensive physical examination by the club's medical team."

"Yes, the meeting is between me and Mr. Jorge Mendes suggested that we set the date at 10 am on the 6th. "

"The transfer application of Kalidou Koulibaly was rejected by the Naples club, which stated that Kalidou Koulibaly is not for sale, and the attitude is very tough. If the mandatory termination clause is to be activated, 60 million euros will be required. The comprehensive evaluation of the transfer department believes that the cost-effectiveness is too low.

For Niklas Sule, Bayern Munich Club is open to his transfer, and the asking price is not very high, but the player himself does not want to leave the Bundesliga.