The next day, Ling invited a few teammates over for a small outdoor barbecue gathering at his place in Hale.
They also watched the televised Champions League matches together.
"Damn, is Real Madrid really this bad? Letting Ajax score in less than ten minutes at the Bernabéu?" Watching Dusan Tadić expertly assist Hakim Ziyech on the screen, De Gea couldn't help but complain from his lawn chair.
In his eyes, Real Madrid had always been an unstoppable, elite team, and last season they had pushed Manchester United to the absolute brink in the final.
If it weren't for everyone giving their all and United having a bit of luck, Real Madrid might have actually achieved a historic three-peat.
"David, do you secretly still want to go to Real Madrid?" Maguire asked casually, flipping a burger.
Back then, the infamous "fax machine incident" had caused quite a stir in the media.
"It's definitely more comfortable staying at Manchester United right now," De Gea shook his head, taking a sip of his drink.
"I heard Modrić, Casemiro, and others have lost a third of their transfer market value this season."
"Yeah, their collective form has dropped significantly since Zidane and Ronaldo left," McTominay agreed.
Everyone chatted idly, but before long, Ajax scored another brilliant goal.
"Are they really going to let Ajax pull off a comeback at home?" McTominay couldn't help but sit up straight in surprise.
However, the rest of the first half of the match became uneventful.
Vinícius Júnior frequently tried to break through on the left flank for Madrid but couldn't create any threatening end product.
Gareth Bale on the right flank was exactly the same, with his overall performance falling massively short of expectations.
His previously explosive, aggressive playing style had taken too much of a toll on his body, making it difficult to maintain a high level of competitive form.
On top of that, frequent muscle injuries had also heavily plagued the Welshman.
In stark contrast, Ajax grew more and more confident as the match went on.
Matthijs de Ligt in defense, Frenkie de Jong dictating the midfield, and Ziyech up front—a young, fearless, and excellent spine allowed Ajax to play with fluid ease.
Coupled with Erik ten Hag's excellent attacking tactics, they finally scored again in the 60th minute.
...
Darren Fletcher: "Sergio Ramos's deliberate yellow card suspension has had a huge, catastrophic impact on Real Madrid tonight! Look at Raphaël Varane and Nacho's performances—they've shown no leadership or toughness at all!"
Steve McManaman: "It's perfectly normal for an energetic Ajax side to pull off a comeback away from home against a defense this disorganized!"
...
Listening to the commentator's remarks, Ling nodded in silent agreement.
Real Madrid's current squad level was still sufficient on paper, but Santiago Solari's radical tactical reforms and poor man-management had caused significant, toxic conflicts within the dressing room.
Simply put, he couldn't command the respect of the team.
The rest of the match went as expected—Ajax shockingly defeated Real Madrid 4-1 on the night, overturning the aggregate score to advance to the quarter-finals.
...
In the VIP box at the Santiago Bernabéu, Florentino Perez angrily waved his hand.
Crash!
The expensive glass cup on the table was knocked over, shattering into pieces on the marble floor.
After this humiliating match, Real Madrid had officially lost on all three fronts—knocked out of the Copa del Rey, miles behind in La Liga, and now humiliated in the Champions League.
It could be said that this season was a complete, historic failure.
Once again, they had reverted to being the "Round of 16 Kings" in the Champions League!
Just thinking about that mocking title from the media made the President furious.
Last year, the old man had made the bold executive choice to sell Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus and promote Gareth Bale as the main man.
The financial reasons were known to the outside world, but the ironclad facts on the pitch told him that his footballing idea couldn't have been more wrong.
Moreover, perhaps due to his introverted personality, Bale didn't enjoy interacting much with his Spanish teammates, and his performance in front of the hostile Madrid media was far from ideal, drifting further away from the heroic image Perez had envisioned.
'Is a damn golf really that fun?!' Florentino roared inwardly.
A ruthless thought surfaced in his mind: to cash in on Bale by selling him this summer, minimizing the club's massive financial losses as much as possible.
But the more pressing question was, who could possibly replace him as the Galáctico?
First, that person needed to have sufficient world-class ability and sky-high global commercial value.
How many active footballers in the world could meet those strict criteria?
Mbappe? Neymar? Ling?
Suddenly, a unified, deafening chant echoed throughout the Bernabéu.
"Florentino, dimisión!!!" (Florentino, resign!!!)
Hearing the furious shouts of the Real Madrid fans directed at his box, Florentino's face instantly darkened.
He stared at the broken Real Madrid players on the pitch, sinking into deep contemplation.
He knew in his heart that he had reached his most perilous political moment at the club.
Rebuilding Real Madrid next season would undoubtedly be the greatest challenge in the club's modern history.
He either had to heed the fans' demands and resign or commit fully to a massive, expensive squad rebuild.
But saying it was easier than doing it.
"Schedule an urgent meeting with Jorge Mendes for me tomorrow," Florentino ordered his assistant.
"I have something very important to discuss with him."
Even the iron-fisted "El Presidente" found himself at a loss, plunged into uncertain confusion.
Because he knew deep down that poaching Jeremy Ling from United was practically impossible.
At Manchester United, Ling had legendary status, global influence, and championship-level treatment that was second to none.
As a beloved product of the Manchester United youth academy, what could Real Madrid possibly offer to lure him away?
Unless another infamous "Flying Boot Incident" were to happen in the Old Trafford dressing room to fracture the relationship.
But Florentino had reason to heavily doubt that the Manchester United board would ever sack Mourinho while he was winning.
....
In the following days, Ling spent his time training intensely at Carrington, occasionally taking his girlfriend Maria to the campus to enjoy the pleasant, normal university atmosphere.
Oh, right—he also gave a few informal, highly attended lectures to the Manchester University FC players.
With the European University League in full swing, Manchester University had advanced to the crucial knockout stages.
The university's chancellor had subtly and jokingly asked Ling if he could officially play for the school team, but Ling firmly refused.
Nonsense!
Asking last season's Premier League Golden Boot winner to play in a university league against accounting students?
Although he was technically an enrolled Manchester University student, he was also a registered UEFA professional player.
Putting aside whether such a move was even legally compliant, Ling himself would feel far too embarrassed—it would be pure, unadulterated bullying on the pitch.
The chancellor didn't press the matter after being politely refused, after all, it was just a casual, hopeful suggestion.
If it had worked out, though…
Not only would it have been excellent global publicity for the university's reputation, but the European University League title would have been absolutely guaranteed!
...
Time flew by, and soon it was March 11th.
While the city of Manchester was still basking in the joy of the Champions League progression, the city once again buzzed with a different kind of raw, hostile excitement.
Old Trafford was already packed to the brim hours before kickoff.
The surrounding streets were filled with fans wearing red jerseys, even more crowded and tense than during the European match against Atlético Madrid a few days earlier.
After all, the North West Derby was English football's ultimate annual feast.
Ever since the Manchester Ship Canal was built in the late 19th century, bypassing Liverpool's docks and causing economic hardship, the two northwestern rival cities had drifted toward an irreconcilable, bitter conflict.
It was a century-long cultural and economic feud that showed absolutely no signs of abating. The two sides were like fire and water, utterly incompatible!
This was no longer just a simple football match—it was about the civic pride of Liverpool and Manchester.
As groups of traveling Liverpool fans approached the heavily guarded away entrance of Old Trafford, they raised their middle fingers toward the bronze statue of Sir Matt Busby, muttering "traitor" under their breaths.
(Busby had famously played for Liverpool and Manchester City before managing United).
This deeply infuriated the gathering Manchester United fans.
How had Manchester United managed to miraculously rise from the ashes after the Munich Air Disaster?
It is precisely because of Sir Matt Busby, the man who also embodies the very essence of the Red Devil Spirit!
"Manchester is my heaven!" This famous quote once made by Sir Matt Busby is still proudly displayed at the entrance of Old Trafford.
Thus, enraged Manchester United fans violently crossed the police security line and charged directly toward the provoking Liverpool fans!
Beep beep beep!!!
Fortunately, the local government had deployed a massive number of riot police forces in advance.
Officers on horseback and on foot forcefully separated the clashing fans of both teams, swinging batons and arresting several frenzied supporters on the spot.
Only then was the violent on-site conflict quelled outside the stadium.
And the ugly pre-match clash seemed to perfectly foreshadow that today's match on the pitch would be exceptionally, brutally intense.