Star Card System

The day after Sanchez joined the team, Manchester United's game came.

In the third round of the FA Cup, the opponent was Derby County from the English Championship.

Because they had just finished a Premier League exchange three days ago, Manchester United spent a lot of energy on Everton.

Mourinho arranged a substitute lineup for this game.

And Sanchez was on the list.

Facing a weak team at the level of the English Championship, it was a good opportunity for Sanchez to find his form and run-in with the team.

Mourinho felt that this game was prepared for Sanchez.

In addition to Sanchez, Xia Xing also started the game, and the other positions were substitutes and rotation players.

In the locker room, Sanchez was silent.

Since joining Manchester United, Sanchez has been silent and silent.

Sitting next to him, Xia Xing gently patted his shoulder.

"Man, how do you feel after joining Manchester United?"

"No feeling, after all, I haven't played a game."

"You are right."

"I think most of the feeling about the team should come from the stadium, not the team atmosphere."

"That makes sense."

Xia Xing nodded.

This guy is really aloof.

But it's true that skilled players have personality.

"Xia, will you pass the ball to me later?"

"Of course."

"Thank you."

Sanchez smiled a little.

Xia Xing also smiled.

This straightforward guy.

But it's not bad.

As long as he can help the team win, it's fine.

Manchester United players ran onto the court and started warming up.

Five minutes later, Derby County players arrived late.

This team doesn't have any big-name stars. The most famous one is probably their team captain, the iron goalkeeper Carson.

This 33-year-old goalkeeper has played in the Premier League for many years.

Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and other teams have left their footprints.

His super reaction speed is his characteristic, and his height of 188cm is agile enough.

Derby County can continue to rank in the top six this season, and Carson has made an indelible contribution.

In this game, he still led the defense, going all out to ensure a solid defense, and then waiting for an opportunity to counterattack and score.

Seeing Derby County players entering the field, Xia Xing quickly walked towards the side of the field.

His target was certainly not Carson, but striker Nugent.

"David! Long time no see!"

"Xia! Long time no see!"

The one who warmly hugged Xia Xing was Xia Xing's teammate in Leicester City - Nugent!

In the summer of 2011, Nugent transferred from Portsmouth to Leicester City.

He experienced Leicester City's struggle in the English Championship until it successfully promoted to the Premier League in 2015.

In four years, he contributed a lot to Leicester City.

But with the promotion of Leicester City, the team lineup also needs to be transformed.

Nugent, who was a rotation player of the team before, eventually chose to leave for more playing opportunities and joined Middlesbrough.

Last winter, he came to Derby County again.

When he was in Leicester City, he got along with Xia Xing for two seasons and had a good relationship.

As an ordinary striker, Nugent knows what level he is at.

In the Premier League, he was indeed not strong enough, wasting opportunities frequently on the field, being complained by teammates and complained by fans, which was a terrible feeling.

But back in the Championship, he was like a fish in water.

This is more suitable for his development.

Now, he is still the top striker of Derby County, helping the team to compete for the Premier League seat, just like when he was in Leicester City.

This is his fate, he accepts it, and enjoys it.

"Xia, you have changed so much in the past few seasons, but it was also within my expectations. I knew at the beginning that you would become a superstar. Now you have done it. You won the Golden Ball and became the best player in the world. I am so happy for you!"

"Man, you are also great. If you could..."

"No, I am at this level. I know myself very well."

"Don't say that..."

"Xia, I am not depressed or disappointed. On the contrary, I am full of enthusiasm for life. Because I am just such a player, an ordinary player. I don't have such high talent as you. Even if I work hard, I can't achieve it. So I accept the status quo peacefully and choose a way to live that makes me feel comfortable. Although it is very ordinary, it is good to enjoy it. The most important thing is that I still love football and love life."

Looking at Nugent in front of him, his smiling face was full of sunshine, which made Manchester, which was a little gloomy, seem to have more light.

What else to say?

Xia Xing didn't know.

At this moment, those words of comfort that I just wanted to say even seemed ridiculous.

Finally, Xia Xing smiled and hugged Nugent again.

"Welcome to Manchester, guys."

The warm-up is over and the game begins.

The referee blew the whistle and Manchester United's FA Cup journey this season officially began!

Although Mourinho did not set any clear goals for the FA Cup and League Cup, the players did not relax.

Especially the players who started today, they knew very well that they were not the absolute main force.

Although Mourinho would not say so, it is the fact.

This is not because they are not good enough, but because there are players in the team who are in better condition than him.

For example, Argentina's number one goalkeeper Romero.

If he is placed in most teams, even in the top teams, he will be a main player.

But unfortunately, he can only be a second goalkeeper at Manchester United no matter how he performs.

Because his competitor is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, and is currently ranked in the top five or top three goalkeepers in the world.

De Gea is in too good a state.

But even so, Romero still works hard to train and strive for better performance.

The same situation is also the case with Mata, Rojo, Blind, Martial and other players.

The stage of the domestic cup competition is the best stage for them to prove themselves.

And there is an absolute core like Xia Xing for them to sit in, just do it!

Especially in the FA Cup and League Cup finals last season, Mourinho still played with the substitute lineup.

He did not withdraw the substitute lineup that fought all the way to the end just because he wanted to compete for the championship, and sent the starting lineup to ensure the championship.

This touched the players very much.

So this season, they still go all out!

In the first ten minutes of the game, Derby County turned the tables.

Several consecutive fast breaks were well-organized, which put Manchester United's defense under great pressure.

And both shots hit the goal frame, allowing Romero to make two wonderful saves.

In fact, this is normal.

It's not that the Championship teams are useless compared to the Premier League teams. On the contrary, they give Premier League teams a headache because of their active fighting.

That's why the FA Cup and the League Cup are called hotbeds for dark horse upsets.

The same is true for Derby County today.

In the 9th minute of the game, Nugent received a cross in the middle, jumped high, and headed the ball!

The ball went straight to the dead corner!

Romero jumped up with all his strength and blocked the ball with his fingertips!

Manchester United escaped!

Mourinho frowned slightly on the sidelines.

This Derby County still has some tricks...