Hulay took off his shirt and stood in front of team doctor Tom Middle, with his upper body naked, and then turned his back to him.
Then Middle pinched the skin fold under his shoulder blades with three fingers, clamped it with an instrument that looked like pliers, and then wrote the reading on one side with a pen. Repeat the test. After three tests, take one
intermediate value.
After taking the skinfold measurement, Hu Lai turned around and put on his clothes while asking Middle: "How much, Mr. Middle?"
“6.8. There is progress, Hu, but we still have to keep working hard.” Dr. Middle answered Hu Lai while filling in the intermediate values into the table on the computer.
This table records the skinfold thickness of Hu Lai when he just joined the team, which was 5.1. In one month, his skinfold thickness increased to 6.8. It was 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. In football events, it is used to detect player body fat content.
What is pinched with fingers is the fat with the belt, and then the thickness is measured to draw a conclusion on the amount of subcutaneous fat of the player.
Generally speaking, for professional players, the skinfold thickness is between 7 and 12. If it is less than 7, it is considered to be thin, and if it is greater than 12, it is considered to be high body fat and needs to be reduced.
Although Hu Lai has not yet reached the average value of a professional player, he is already very close to that threshold. Therefore, the team medical team's advice to head coach Tony Clark is that Hu Lai's physical condition is good enough to play, but he will not be able to play.
Injury due to collision with an opponent. Generally speaking, if the skinfold thickness data is lower than 5, it is considered to have a high probability of injury.
Of course, until Hu Lai’s physical condition fully meets the requirements, I’m afraid Hu Lai will be able to play in the next few months.
At that time, the player Leeds City spent 12 million pounds to buy, when the team needed the most fighting strength to avoid relegation, could not appear because he failed the skinfold thickness test. Then don't say that Nevin Ball was not
Agreed, Tony Clark would not agree either.
Hearing what the team doctor said, Hu Lai happily put on his clothes and walked out of the team doctor's office, and then met Charlie Potter who was waiting for him outside: "How is it, Hu?"
“Mr. Middle said I have made great progress.”
Porter sighed: "Even if I don't look at the results of your skinfold test, I know that you have made great progress. To be honest, you said before that you went from a football layman to a Premier League player in just five years, and I did the same."
I didn’t believe it…but now I believe it!”
Beside him, Vieira also nodded and said in Spanish: "I believe it too. Your progress is like getting into a supercar."
Then Porter put his arm around Hu Lai's shoulders and squeezed hard: "Congratulations, Hu Lai. You can be selected for the squad!"
Before each game, Leeds City players will come to team doctor Middle to undergo a skinfold test at the request of head coach Tony Clark to see how their physical condition has changed during this period.
If someone's skinfold test result is not satisfactory, it will be difficult for him to get a chance to enter the competition squad.
Porter didn't know that Hulay had been on the roster a long time ago. Clark asked Hulay to keep it secret from other players, so Hulay didn't mention that he was keeping secret not only from his teammates, but actually only from his agent.
Yong Jun and Li Qingqing talked about this.
He didn’t say anything in the Friends group.
※※※
After the training, Tony Clark stood in front of all the players with a hard board. Everyone knew that he was going to announce the 18-man roster for tomorrow's league.
"Those whose names have been called will participate in tomorrow's game." Clark glanced at the players, lowered his head and began to read the names.
"Mikael van der Veen, Falek Quinn, Luke Davies..."
Some of the people whose names he read out looked happy, while others looked calm.
It was not until the end that Tony Clark announced Hu Lai's name: "Hu Lai."
One of the teammates whistled: "Congratulations, Hu!"
Hu Lai quickly handed over to everyone: "Thank you, thank you!"
In fact, everyone is a little surprised that Hu Lai entered the game roster so late. After all, as the most valuable Leeds City player in the winter transfer window, it took him a month to enter the game roster. This is really unexpected. Everyone.
It was originally thought that Hulay would be included in the squad in the league round after the FA Cup match.
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 made Hu Lai practice in training for a month before he was included in the squad.
As for Hu Lai himself, faced with such treatment, he did not complain or be frustrated, but came to training every day with a positive attitude. Everyone saw this and had a much better impression of this new player.
If Hu Lai enjoys privileges just because he is the coach's favorite, many people will look down on him in their hearts without saying anything.
※※※
The eighteen players who were selected for the game squad lived in the dormitory building of the training base directly after the training. Unlike the big bunk beds where they took a nap, this time they lived in a special dormitory, two people.
A room in the podium next to the main building.
Because of the special nature of Leeds City's training base and home stadium, the club is able to save hotel and transportation costs for home games.
Those players who did not need to participate in tomorrow's game showered and changed in the locker room and then left.
Hu Lai went to the restaurant for dinner with the other seventeen teammates who were going to participate in the competition.
There he discovered something strange.
First of all, there is the nutritionist Ms. Mia Schmidt who always appears in the restaurant during the players’ meal time. She wore a bright red suit today and looked particularly festive with her slightly chubby figure.
In addition, there were also some staff members of Leeds City TV, the official media of Leeds City Club. They carried cameras. Apparently they had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Hulay entering the restaurant, they pointed the camera lens at him.
Leeds City TV often appeared on the sidelines of the training ground to film the players' training highlights. Hu Lai was accustomed to their presence, and he didn't pay special attention to the fact that the camera lens was pointed at him. He focused on the windows of the restaurant.
.
Compared with lunchtime, there are more red window grilles on the restaurant windows in the evening.
In the Leeds City TV footage, 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, these are stuffed with beef."
“Wow, are these dumplings? Do we have any, Ms. Schmidt?” The other Leeds City players who followed Hu Lai in saw their eyes widening when they saw what Hu Lai had on his plate, and they were very envious.
"Of course. Today is the Chinese New Year. The team restaurant has specially prepared beef dumplings for everyone." Ms. Schmidt pointed to the dining table. There was a stainless steel vat on it, with dense dumplings floating in the soup.
.
They are real Chinese dumplings, with white skin and large fillings, rolled in soup.
“I had it at the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it was really delicious...” Charlie Potter showed off.
Ms. Schmidt next to her put her hands on her hips and asked: "Charlie, when did you sneak away for Chinese food?"
"Uh..." Potter didn't expect that he would be exposed by bragging.
Seeing his embarrassment, joyful laughter burst into the restaurant.
It’s really a bit of a New Year’s atmosphere.
After dinner, the club also prepared some activities specifically for the Chinese New Year. For example, they took turns sitting in front of Leeds City TV cameras, speaking the Chinese they had just temporarily learned from Hu Lai, and sending gifts to Chinese fans thousands of miles away.
Holiday greetings.
As China's influence becomes stronger and stronger, China's traditional festival Spring Festival has naturally gained a certain status around the world. Especially in European football, many wealthy teams will also launch similar products during the Spring Festival for the Chinese market.
Small activities to please Chinese fans.
However, in the past, this kind of activity had nothing to do with the small club Leeds City.
After all, they are thousands of miles away from the Chinese market and cannot be reached by eight poles.
If you put in the effort to please Chinese fans, you might just be laughed at for being crazy about money.
Not just Leeds City, many non-rich clubs do not deliberately conduct any promotional activities for the Chinese New Year.
But now Leeds City has changed. With Chinese players joining the team, it is natural for them to do a Spring Festival special again.
That's why the club's commercial director Harry Bradley hopes Tony Clark can include Hulay in the squad for this game.
He doesn't care about other games, but Hu Lai must be in the squad for this game.
Because this game coincides with the Chinese New Year.
If Hulay is not included in the squad, all the promotional activities planned by the club for the spring 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 player from a European club speaks Chinese stumblingly, he must be hoping to take money out of the pockets of Chinese fans. But since you want to make our money, you have to make us happy first. If you are happy, I will reward you.
, that’s normal too.
There is not even Hu Lai in the game, so how can we be happy?
If the Chinese fans are unhappy, Leeds City will not make any money!
※※※
Earlier, some people gathered outside the gate of the Flanders Park training base next to Leeds City's Flanders Stadium. They were all waiting for the Leeds City players to come out after training.
There are photographers, reporters, and ordinary fans here.
However, due to the unsatisfactory performance of the team, there were far fewer fans blocking the players at the training ground to ask for autographs, but there were more and more photographers and reporters, obviously they all wanted to find out something about the outside world from the players.
Unknown inside information about the team.
During the turmoil of the team, internal gossip is what the media is most concerned about.
Among the reporters outside there are Chinese reporters. They are also concerned about these internal gossips, but they are more concerned about Hu Lai.
So even though today is New Year's Eve, they still stick to their jobs, just to get more news about Hu Lai.
When reporters asked Hu Lai when he would get a chance to play in the Premier League, he said that he was undergoing retreat, so he didn't know when he would play, and he didn't care much. Anyway, everything was arranged by the head coach.
He may not care, but fans across the country do...
Especially at this time, I am particularly concerned about it!
The door to the training base opened and players drove away one after another.
Some of them stopped to accept simple interviews with reporters, or signed autographs and took photos with fans, while others drove away directly in their cars. Fastest update Mobile version::
It wasn’t until no more cars came 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, and then these experienced football reporters all realized that the day before the game, they did not go home to live, but stayed 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 Leeds City Club has not officially announced the match roster, they can't wait to publish their findings online.
※※※
The Spring Festival Gala was playing on the TV, and people outside the TV were sitting in various corners of the room.
Xie Lan was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through her mobile phone, and taking the time to watch two TVs at the same time. But whether it was her mobile phone or the TV, her attention was not actually focused on it.
She was in a daze, bored, and didn't know what to do.
Even on this lively New Year’s Eve.
She specially returned to her parents' home with her husband, and now she is at her parents' home, accompanying her father and mother, as well as her second sister's family who came from other places to celebrate the New Year, and her eldest brother, second brother and eldest sister who were originally in Jincheng.
The whole family.
The ninety-square-meter old house was crowded with people. The men were smoking and chatting on the balcony. The second brother was asking Hu Lixin how to bake the football coaching qualification certificate. The women were watching the Spring Festival Gala with their old father and mother at home.
They were chatting about how difficult the acrobatic show just now was.
Young people and children are not interested in the Spring Festival Gala and sit around the dining table chatting on their mobile phones.
Grandpa, who was sitting in the middle of the sofa, looked at the large family and felt extremely satisfied. :(/
After so many years, everyone can sit down so happily again.
Only one person is missing...
At this moment, Peng Hao at the dining table suddenly shouted: "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 table next to him couldn't help but cast their eyes at him.
In front of everyone, Peng Hao excitedly raised his cell phone: "Auntie! Hu Lai... Cousin Hu Lai has entered the squad for tomorrow's competition!"
“Really?” Xie Lan exclaimed, then jumped up from the sofa and ran towards Peng Hao.
Hands over and grabs his cell phone.
That above is a news page from the "Goal" website.
The content of the news is very simple, just one paragraph:
Leeds City announced the squad for tomorrow’s home game against Sydenham, and Chinese player Hu Lai was selected.
She threw her head back and laughed.
Other people gathered around and passed around to check Peng Hao’s cell phone.
“Yeah? It’s true!”
“Oh, congratulations, little sister!”
“Now you can watch football tomorrow!”
The eldest brother waved his hand: "Go to my house for dinner tomorrow night, and we will watch football together after dinner! Cheer for my nephew!"
Xie Lan was still laughing, tears welling up in his eyes as he smiled.
January 28, 2025, the 29th 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 had been training in isolation in order to adapt to the confrontational rhythm of the Premier League game, was released.