Fox in the Penalty Area

With his shirt off, Hou Lai stood in front of team doctor Thom Middle with his upper body naked, and then turned his back to him.

Then Middel pinches the skinfold below his shoulder blades with three fingers, pinches it with what looks like a pincer, and writes the reading aside. Repeat the test again, and after three tests, take an intermediate value.

After taking the skinfold measurement, Hu Lai turned around and asked Middle while putting on his clothes, "How much, Mr. Middle?"

"6.8. There is progress, Hu, but we still have to work hard." Dr. Middle replied to Hu Lai while filling in the intermediate values ​​into the form on the computer.

In this form, it is recorded that the skinfold thickness of Hu Lai who just joined the team is 5.1. In one month, his skinfold thickness increased to 6.8, which is not just a simple improvement, but a great improvement.

Skinfold thickness measurement is an important indicator for inferring body fat content and judging the development of subcutaneous fat. It is used to detect player body fat content in football events.

What is pinched with fingers is the belt fat, and then by measuring the thickness, a conclusion can be drawn about the amount of subcutaneous fat of the player.

Generally speaking, for professional players, the skinfold thickness is between 7-12. If it is less than 7, it is considered to be thin. If it is greater than 12, it is considered to have high body fat and needs to be reduced.

Although the current Hu Lai is not considered to have reached the average value of professional players, he is already very close to that threshold. Therefore, the suggestion given by the team medical team to head coach Tony Clark is that Hu Lai's physical condition can play, and he will not be injured when he collides with his opponent on the field. Generally speaking, if the data of skinfold thickness is less than 5, it is considered Has a high chance of injury.

Of course, if Hu Lai's physical condition fully meets the requirements, I am afraid that Hu Lai will be able to play in the past few months.

At that time, Leeds City spent 12 million pounds to buy players, but when the team needed combat power most for relegation, they could not play because the skinfold thickness test failed. Don't say that Nevin Ball disagrees, and neither will Tony Clark.

Hearing what the team doctor said, Hu Lai happily put on his clothes and walked out of the team doctor's office, then met Charlie Potter who was waiting for him outside: "How is it, Hu?"

"Mr. Middle says I've improved a lot."

Porter said with emotion: "Even if I don't look at the results of your skinfold test, I know that you have improved a lot. To be honest, before you said that you changed from a football layman to a Premier League player in only five years, and I did too. I didn't believe it...but now I believe it!"

Vieira, who was next to him, also nodded, saying in Spanish: "I believe it too. Your progress is like riding in a supercar."

Then Potter put his arms around Hu Lai's shoulders and squeezed hard: "Congratulations, Hu. You can be selected for the big list!"

Before each game, Leeds City players will come to the team doctor Middel for a skinfold test to see how their physical condition has changed during this time, as required by head coach Tony Clarke.

If someone's skinfold test results are not satisfactory, it is difficult for him to get a chance to enter the squad for the game.

Porter didn't know that Holly had been on the squad long ago, and Clark asked Holly to keep it a secret from the other players, so Holly didn't say a word—he was not only keeping it secret from his teammates, but actually only keeping it secret from his own teammates. Manager Yong Jun and Li Qingqing talked about it.

In the Friends group, he didn't say anything.

※※※

After the training, Tony Clark stood in front of all the players with a hard board. Everyone knew that this was the announcement of the 18-man roster for tomorrow's league.

"I've called my name, I'll participate in tomorrow's game." Clark glanced at the players, bowed his head and began to read their names.

"Mikay van der Ven, Farreck Quinn, Luke Davis..."

Some of the people whose names were read by him showed joy, while others looked calm.

It was not until the end that Tony Clark announced Holly's name: "Hooley.

"

Some of the teammates whistled: "Congratulations, Hu!"

Hu Lai hurriedly cupped his hands to everyone: "Thank you, thank you!"

In fact, everyone was a little surprised that Hu Lai entered the competition list so late. After all, as the most valuable Leeds City player in the winter transfer window, it took a month to enter the squad for the game, which is really unexpected. Everyone originally thought that Hu Lai would enter the squad in the round of the league after the FA Cup.

After all, everyone knows that he is deeply loved and trusted by head coach Tony Clark.

As a result, everyone once again experienced the strict requirements of the head coach from Hu Lai-even if he named the players to come, he still let Hu Lai practice for a month in training before entering the squad.

As for Hu Lai himself, in the face of such treatment, he did not complain or feel frustrated. Instead, he trained every day with a positive attitude. The big guys saw it, and his impression of this new player was much better.

If Hu Lai enjoys the privilege because he is the person the head coach likes, many people will look down on him without saying anything.

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The 18 players who were selected for the competition live in the dormitory building of the training base directly after the training. It is different from the bunk beds where they take a nap. This time they live in a special dormitory. Two people share a room, in the podium next to the main building.

Because of the particularity of Leeds City's training base and home stadium, the club was able to save hotel and transportation costs for home games.

Those players who don't have to participate in tomorrow's game left after showering and changing in the locker room.

Hu Lai went to the restaurant for dinner with the other seventeen teammates who were going to participate in the game.

There he found something strange.

The first is Ms. Mia Schmidt, a nutritionist who always appears in the dining room during player meal times. She wore a bright red suit today, and with her slightly fat figure, she looked particularly festive.

In addition, there were some staff members of Leeds City TV, the official media of the Leeds City Club. They were carrying cameras, apparently waiting for a long time, and when they saw Hu Lai entering the restaurant, they pointed the camera lens at him.

Leeds City TV often appears on the sidelines of the training ground to film the players' training highlights. Hu Lai is used to their existence, and he doesn't care too much because the camera lens is aimed at him. He casts his eyes on the windows of the restaurant. .

Compared with lunch at noon, there are more red grilles on the glass windows of the restaurant in the evening.

In the footage of Leeds City TV, Ms Schmidt served Hu Lai his dinner next to him: "Happy Chinese New Year, Hu!"

Hu Lai looked down at the dumplings on the plate, and asked curiously, "Thank you, Ms. Schmidt, are these dumplings stuffed with chicken breast?"

Ms. Schmidt frowned slightly: "Are there any dumplings stuffed with chicken breast? No, it's stuffed with beef."

"Wow, are these dumplings? Do we have any, Ms. Schmidt?" The other Leeds City players who followed Hu Lai came in had big eyes when they saw the things on Hu Lai's plate, and they were very envious.

"Of course, today is Chinese New Year, and the team restaurant has specially prepared beef dumplings for everyone." Ms. Schmidt pointed to the dining table, on which there was a stainless steel vat with densely packed dumplings floating in the soup .

These are real Chinese dumplings, filled with white skin and rolled in soup.

"I've had it at Chili Peppers and it was delicious..." boasted Charlie Potter.

Ms. Schmidt next to her asked with her hands on her hips, "Charlie, when did you sneak out to eat Chinese food?"

"Uh..." Potter didn't expect to expose himself by bragging.

Seeing his embarrassment, joyous laughter resounded in the restaurant.

It's really a bit of a New Year's atmosphere.

After the meal, the club also prepared some activities specifically for the Chinese New Year. For example, they took turns sitting in front of the Leeds City TV camera, speaking the Chinese they just learned from Hu Lai temporarily, and sending a message to Chinese fans thousands of miles away. Happy Holidays.

As China's influence becomes stronger and stronger, the Chinese traditional festival, the Spring Festival, naturally has a certain status in the world. Especially in European football, for the sake of the Chinese market, many wealthy teams will launch similar small activities during the Spring Festival to please Chinese fans.

But in the past, this kind of activity has nothing to do with the small club of Leeds City.

After all, they are thousands of miles away from the Chinese market, and they are out of reach.

If they try so hard to please the Chinese fans, they might just be ridiculed for being crazy about money.

Not only Leeds City, many non-rich clubs will not deliberately do some promotional activities for the Chinese New Year.

But now Leeds City has changed suddenly. With the joining of Chinese players, it is logical for them to make a Spring Festival special.

That's why the club's commercial director, Harry Bradley, wants Tony Clark to put Houley in the squad for the game.

He doesn't care about other games, but Hu Lai must be on the squad for this game.

Because this game and the Chinese New Year just happened to be one day.

If Hu Lai is not included in the squad, all the spring promotional activities planned by the club will be meaningless.

Chinese fans will not think that Leeds City respects them, they will only think that Leeds City is using them to make money.

Although everyone knows that a European club player stumbles and speaks Chinese, he must hope to get money from the pockets of Chinese fans. But since you want to earn our money, then you have to make us happy first. If the uncle is happy, reward you, that's normal.

How can you be happy if you don't even have Hu Lai in the game?

Chinese fans are not happy, Leeds City don't want to make a penny!

※※※

Earlier, some people gathered outside the gate of the Flanders Park training base next to the Flanders Stadium in Leeds City. They were all waiting for the Leeds City players who had finished training to come out of it.

There are photographers and reporters, as well as ordinary fans.

However, due to the unsatisfactory performance of the team, the number of fans blocking the players for autographs on the sidelines of the training field has decreased, but there have been more and more photographers and reporters. Obviously, they all want to get some outside information from the players. Unknown internal information about the team.

During the team's turbulent period, internal gossip is the most concerned by the media.

Among the journalists outside there are Chinese journalists who also care about these internal gossips, but they are more concerned about Hu Lai.

So even if today is New Year's Eve, they still stick to their jobs, just to get more news about Hu Lai.

When the reporter asked Hu Lai when he would be able to play in the Premier League, he said that he was practicing in retreat, so he didn't know when he would play, and he didn't care too much. Anyway, everything was arranged by the head coach.

He may not care, but fans across the country care...

Especially at this moment, pay special attention!

The gate of the training base opened, and some players drove away one after another.

Some of them stopped to accept simple interviews with reporters, or signed autographs for fans, and some drove away directly.

It wasn't until there were no more cars coming out of it that the Chinese reporters realized one thing: they didn't seem to see Hu Lai just now...

A group of people looked at each other in blank dismay, and then these experienced football journalists all reacted—the day before the game, instead of going home to live, but staying in the training base for centralized accommodation, what does it mean?

This means that Hu Lai has entered the squad for tomorrow's game!

Almost all reporters lowered their heads and turned on their mobile phones at the same time. Although the Leeds City Club has not officially announced the match list, they can't wait to publish their discovery on the Internet.

※※※

The Spring Festival Gala is playing on the TV, and people outside the TV are scattered in every corner of the room.

Xie Lan sat on the sofa, swiping his phone in his hand, and took time to watch two TVs at the same time. But whether it's a mobile phone or a TV, in fact, she didn't pay attention to it.

She was a little dazed, bored, and didn't know what to do.

Even on this lively New Year's Eve.

She went back to her natal home with her husband, and is now at her parents' home, with her father and mother, her second sister's family who came from other places for the New Year, and her elder brother, second brother, and elder sister who were originally in Jincheng. the whole family.

The 90-square-meter old house was full of people. The men were smoking and chatting on the balcony. The second brother was asking Hu Lixin how his football coaching qualification certificate was obtained. The women watched the Spring Festival Gala with their old father and mother. Talking about how difficult the acrobatic show was just now.

Young people and children are not interested in the Spring Festival Gala, sitting around the dining table playing mobile phones and chatting.

Grandpa, who was sitting in the middle of the sofa, looked at the big family and was extremely satisfied.

After so many years, everyone can sit down happily again.

Only one person left...

At this moment, Peng Hao who was at the dining table suddenly yelled: "Little aunt!"

His voice attracted everyone's attention.

The women who were watching the Spring Festival Gala, the men who were smoking and bragging on the balcony outside the living room, and the young people at the dining table next to him all couldn't help casting their gazes at him.

Under the eyes of everyone, Peng Hao excitedly raised his mobile phone: "Little aunt! Hu Lai... Cousin Hu Lai has entered the big list for tomorrow's competition!"

"Really?" Xie Lan exclaimed, then jumped up from the sofa and ran towards Peng Hao.

Then snatched his cell phone.

That above is a news page of the "Goal" website.

The content of the news is very simple, just a short paragraph:

Leeds City announced the squad for tomorrow's home game against Sydenham, and Chinese player Hu Lai was selected.

She threw back her head and laughed.

Others gathered around one after another, passing around to check Peng Hao's cell phone.

"Yeah? Really!"

"Oh, congratulations, little girl!"

"Now we can watch football tomorrow!"

The eldest brother waved his hand: "Go to my house for dinner tomorrow night, and watch the ball together after dinner! Cheer to my nephew!"

Xie Lan was still laughing, tears streaming down his face as he smiled.

January 28, 2025, the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, New Year's Eve.

On this night, all Chinese fans knew that their "hope of the whole village", Hu Lai, who was undergoing special training in order to adapt to the confrontational rhythm of the Premier League game, was out.

.