After the Community Shield, Manchester United completed five Premier League matches before the transfer window closed.
On August 10, Manchester United drew 3-3 with Wolves;
On August 14, Manchester United defeated Coventry City 2-0;
On August 18, Manchester United defeated Brentford 2-0;
On August 24, Manchester City defeated Manchester United 3-1;
On August 31, Manchester United drew 2-2 with Brighton.
After five rounds, Manchester United was temporarily ranked 7th in the Premier League standings. Gao Nuo started 3 times and came on as a substitute 2 times, scoring 4 goals. Abraham, who was highly valued by the management, started 2 times and came on as a substitute 3 times, scoring only 1 goal.
The less-than-smooth start did not stop the management's antics. Abraham's England nationality made him a favorite of the management.
The atmosphere in the Manchester United locker room became increasingly delicate. The balance between the two small groups, the local players led by Rashford and the Portuguese-speaking players led by Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, was broken, and small frictions began to appear.
During a training session, Vanderson's tackle on Rashford was a bit aggressive. The newcomer Abraham, to show his loyalty, pushed Vanderson to the ground, which angered Antony, who then exchanged trash talk with Abraham.
"New guy, what do you want?"
"Nothing, just playing. Is this the intensity of the Premier League? Falling down with just a touch?"
"Shut your mouth. Do I need to show you some color?"
"Come on, whoever's scared is a coward!"
Casemiro and Rice prevented the situation from escalating, not giving the two a chance.
In the subsequent game, the tension grew, forcing the coaching staff to end the training session early.
With undercurrents in the locker room and unstable starting positions, Li Qiang, as Gao Nuo's agent, approached Erik ten Hag: "Mr. Erik ten Hag, I believe Gao Nuo is being treated unfairly, and I need an explanation."
Their relationship had been good before, so seeing Li Qiang use a respectful title for him, Erik ten Hag said helplessly, "Li, don't be so formal. I understand your thoughts. The club currently has some problems, and I need time to resolve them."
Li Qiang was already very mature in his role as an agent and wanted to fight for Gao Nuo's rights: "Alright, Erik, I think you know Gao Nuo's current state best. He chose to renew his contract with Manchester United to win more trophies for the club."
Erik ten Hag became even more helpless. He couldn't reveal the management's decisions. Even if his relationship with Li Qiang was good, if it were leaked, his conflict with the management would become public, and the situation would completely spiral out of control. "Li, be patient. Let Gao Nuo maintain his best form, give me some time, and everything will be resolved."
Li Qiang was very measured. After expressing his dissatisfaction, he did not press further. "Alright, I hope so. I'll take my leave then."
Erik ten Hag saw Li Qiang off, then sat at his desk, his mood far from relaxed.
Previously, Manchester United's poor performance for several consecutive seasons, coupled with the 'killing the chicken to scare the monkeys' approach with Cristiano Ronaldo, allowed Erik ten Hag to gain authority within the team, and the small cliques that had always existed in the locker room coexisted peacefully.
In just two seasons, player movement led to a lack of stability in the locker room. Winning the Premier League title made some players complacent, and the Sancho incident served as a fuse, causing Manchester United's long-standing locker room problems to erupt again.
The brainless management not only didn't help but also brought back Abraham, Erik ten Hag cursed inwardly. He could only use his own methods to turn the situation around.
Before the transfer window closed, Borussia Dortmund, who bought Sancho for a bargain price, became Erik ten Hag's key focus.
He first signed 29-year-old right-back Marius Wolf from Borussia Dortmund on a free transfer, then continued negotiations with Borussia Dortmund, buying Niklas Süle for 47.5 million euros to fill the void left by Lindelöf's free transfer.
With the acquisition of two German players, plus the German goalkeeper Nübel already in the squad, Eriksen, at Erik ten Hag's instruction, united the three and some young players to create a third, neutral clique in the locker room, hoping to balance the current conflicts.
The chaotic club affairs did not affect Gao Nuo; only losing made him very uncomfortable.
Before the international break, Gao Nuo sat on the ground in the virtual training ground, chatting with the system: "System, can I see Wang Xiaochuan's data?"
The mechanical voice responded: "Sorry, host, no. I can only collect your data."
Gao Nuo persisted, unwilling to give up: "Don't be so rigid. I just want to see his progress this month."
The system was speechless: "Sorry, host, no means no. I can only make judgments based on his match data, but I cannot obtain his accurate physical data."
"So there are things you can't do, hahaha. Alright, Challenge Road."
Gao Nuo mocked it, then began his daily training.
Challenge Road had already passed 4 stages. Since the rewards were upgraded to purple star cards, the difficulty of the challenges increased. Gao Nuo helplessly found that it was already a lucky result if he could pass one stage in about 10 attempts.
From the 4 purple cards, Gao Nuo hit a defender jackpot, drawing Real Madrid's Antonio Rüdiger and Militão, Barça's Jules Kounde, and Manchester City's John Stones.
No matter how brilliant the defense, it couldn't solve the attacking problems. Relying solely on Vega and Messi to support Gao Nuo, the speed of clearing Challenge Road became slower and slower.
Fortunately, this did not affect the continued accumulation of experience, and Virtual Messi's passing and shooting choices in matches greatly benefited Gao Nuo.
As September began, Gao Nuo temporarily escaped club pressure and returned to the National Football Team to participate in two World Cup Asian qualifiers.
The China Team's lineup had changed significantly. A group of veterans were not called up, and 33-year-old Yan Junling became the oldest player. Besides Gao Nuo's undisputed strength, Jankovic also called up young Ai Feierding and Hu Hetao, indicating that the China Team was indeed in a difficult transition period.
Ai Feierding and Hu Hetao joined Malaga in Spain's Segunda División in the summer and received good playing time in the youth team.
The two, for the first time, fought alongside their "boss" Gao Nuo. Their similar ages quickly brought them together. During training breaks, Gao Nuo enthusiastically shared the plans formulated by the system with them. As for whether they followed them, and to what extent, that was not something Gao Nuo could decide.
On September 6, 2024, China lost 1-2 to Iran.
On September 10, 2024, China lost 1-2 to Saudi Arabia.
For the National Football Team, the bad news was two consecutive losses, but the good news was that the team's offense performed well, and there was still good hope of qualifying from the third round.
