It was June and the national team's teammates finally saw their captain.
When George Wood reported to the national team, there were many reporters. The media and fans all wanted to see how Wood's recovery from his foot injury was. If he was still wearing slippers and walking on crutches, everyone's heart would have sunk.
When Wood's agent, Billy Woox's gray Bentley stopped at the entrance of Colney, the security guards tried to push away the reporters who surrounded him. However, they could not stop the cameras and handguns from shooting at Wood.
George Wood lowered his head and got out of the car. Everyone's eyes were focused on his right foot. When they saw that Wood was wearing a pair of normal Nike trainers, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Wood did not turn around to take out a pair of crutches from the car. He just got out of the car and stood in front of everyone.
Woox got out of the car and went to the back to open the trunk to take out Wood's luggage. This meant that Wood would follow the team to Spain and not continue to stay at home for treatment.
The security guards felt the pressure behind them increase a lot. It seemed that they could not stop it anymore. The crazy media and fans were like a tidal wave, crashing against the dike formed by the security guards. Countless microphones and cameras went over the heads of the security guards and reached out to George Wood.
"George! How's your injury? "
"Are you okay to walk on the ground?"
"How about running?"
"Are you sure you can make it in time for the UEFA European Championship?"
"George! George! 'St. George Fan Association' wishes you a speedy recovery. Can you say something to us? "
"Mr. Wood …"
The security guards painfully maintained the order at the scene. If those people launched another attack, this line of defense would collapse. Fortunately, a voice came to their rescue.
"If you continue to push like this, I bet you'll 'accidentally' step on George's right big toe."
An electronic voice rang out behind everyone. It was very loud. No matter how noisy the environment was, there was no need to worry that no one would hear it.
This voice was like a magic spell, causing everyone to stop moving forward. Then they looked back at the source of the voice.
Tony Twain stood behind them, holding a loudspeaker in his hand and looking at them with a straight face.
At this moment, everyone knew that it was time for the movie to end.
The crowd around Wood gradually dispersed, and the security guards finally breathed a sigh of relief. Their uniforms were soaked in sweat, and some of them had black handprints on their bodies.
When Wood saw Twain, a smile appeared on his face.
The clouds on Tang En's face also cleared up, and the sun shone brightly.
Billy Woox passed the luggage in his hands to Wood, then waved at Twain and turned around to enter the car. Tang En casually tossed the loudspeaker to one of the security guards and strode towards Wood.
The reporters thought that Tang En might shake hands with Wood. They did not think that Tang En would directly hug Wood in his arms.
He hugged Wood tightly, afraid that he would run away again.
Twain knew that Wood would report to the national team the day before. Professor Wallace personally called him to inform him that Wood could go with the team to Spain based on the recovery of his injury, but he still could not slack off on his rehabilitation training. He had already informed the team doctor of the national team to pay special attention to him.
However, Tang En would not truly be at ease until he saw Wood appear in front of him. The longer the night, the more trouble there would be. He was afraid that he would wake up to receive another call from Professor Wallace, telling him that Wood had to completely bid farewell to this UEFA European Championship due to his second injury when he was taking a shower.
Although this reason was absurd, it was not without precedent.
Now that Wood had really come, the pressure on Tang En's heart was also a lot lighter. At least he no longer had to face the media's doubts about whether Wood could really make it to the UEFA European Championship. Moreover, Wood's return to the team also injected a calming force into the somewhat anxious team. Everyone's restless hearts calmed down — the backbone on the field was back.
"Welcome back, George." Tang En whispered in Wood's ear while hugging him.
※ ※ ※
Wood's return to the team was big news, and the major media rushed to report it. The sense of insecurity that had always haunted the England fans finally dissipated a little. Although the national team held a press conference to say that Wood's injury had not reached the point where he could train with the team with the ball, there was still hope.
The UEFA European Championship began on June 9th, and England's first game was on June 12th. There were still 12 days left, and he would get better.
George Wood said in an interview that he was feeling good now, and there would be no problem for him to participate in the UEFA European Championship.
In fact, that afternoon, after the team's training, Tang En called Wood over alone to do a secret test with the team doctor. The result was that his right big toe was still very painful, and he could not exert force whether he ran or touched the ball.
The result made Tang En frown. The situation had not fundamentally improved. Wood's coming to the national team was probably more to show his attitude and to let everyone feel at ease …
In the end, Wood could only continue his rehabilitation training in the swimming pool.
The next day, Wood flew with the team to Barcelona, Spain. Their first group game was at Camp Nou, so England also chose this city for their training camp before the big game.
The beautiful Barcelona would not improve Tang En's mood. The team's overall tactics had long been formed, but that was under the premise that George Wood played. For more than a month, Tang En had been practicing how the team should play when Wood was not around. The training, which was only open to the media for 15 minutes every day, was all meaningless warm-ups. Tang En hid the real things and did not let others see.
During this period, Tang En saw a number of German reporters outside the training camp. He believed that these reporters were also gathering information for the German national team, because England's reporters would also do the same. Reporters who had a good relationship with Tang En would deliberately gather information that would be helpful to England when they interviewed other national teams about their training, and then hand it over to England.
The German reporters were most concerned about how George Wood's injury was recovering. They also knew that Wood was now a core figure in the England team. With him and without him, England would be like two different teams. When they saw that the England players were all gathered together to warm up, but only George Wood was jogging alone in the corner, they all had relieved smiles on their faces – it looked like Wood's recovery from his foot injury was not going well.
On June 5th, George Wood finally had an open and solo training session with the ball. Although the opening time to the media was still only 15 minutes, the training ground was crowded with media from all over the world.
Wood did some training moves such as bouncing the ball and passing the ball in front of the media, and there seemed to be no problem.
The English people cheered for it, while the Germans were a little depressed.
But they did not know that the truth was definitely not as simple as it appeared.
※ ※ ※
Professor Wallace, who had specially flown from England to Barcelona, Spain, carried out a comprehensive examination on the injured part of Wood's right foot, and then he had a secret talk with Tang En.
With seven days to go before the start of the competition, this secret talk might decide whether Wood would follow the team to participate in the UEFA European Championship.
"Wood's condition is still not able to participate in the official competition," Wallace said straightforwardly.
Tang En was not surprised by this result, but his brows furrowed even tighter.
"You still need to be careful in training with the ball."
"Can you give me an exact date for his comeback now, Professor?" Tang En was only concerned about this.
Wallace had obviously thought about it for a long time, and he replied without hesitation, "He definitely won't be able to make it for the game against Portugal, and the game against Wales also depends on the specific situation of his recovery during this period." He paused for a moment, and then said, "I think the safest way is not to let Wood participate in the group stage."
"You're saying he can come back when he reaches the knockout stage?"
"At least the possibility is very high."
Tang En was lost in thought.
The strength of this group was not weak. Germany and Portugal were strong opponents, and Wales had also risen. Having reached the finals of the UEFA European Championship again after 40 years, they must be full of confidence and fighting spirit. Such a team often became a dark horse.
Could the England team without George Wood escape from the group of death unscathed, and fight a bloody path?
Tang En was currently uncertain.
Seeing his troubles, Wallace said, "If you think it's too risky, you can replace Wood. Anyway, even if he can participate in the knockout stage of the competition, I can't guarantee that he will not be injured again. And more importantly, his form. He has not played in a competition for so long, and has not trained with the team before. Even if he plays in a situation where he can't guarantee his form, there may not be a good result. "
Wallace said what was in Tang En's mind. He was most worried about two points, injury and form.
Wood's foot injury had not recovered, and he did not know if his form could maintain the level before the injury.
As long as Wood played, he must be the core, and if the core was not in form … then the consequences would be unthinkable.
In short, this was an extremely risky gamble.
Wallace knew that Tang En needed to think carefully. There were too many things holding him back. He quietly took his leave. Coming out of the training camp, he was surrounded by the media, who wanted him to say what he talked about with Tang En.
"We talked about Wood's injury, but I can't tell you anything, sorry."
He got into his car, a little embarrassed, and sped away.
※ ※ ※
There were indeed many factors holding Tang En back from making a final decision. He had to consider the impact his decision would have on Wood's career. Positive? Or negative? He also had to consider whether Wood's recovery from his foot injury was progressing as Wallace predicted, and whether he could play in the knockout stages. Another thing was Wood's condition. He was always recuperating and training alone, and there were no clues. Then there was the results of this competition. That was also an important factor that could not be ignored. What results would the team achieve by giving up on George Wood? What impact would it have on the results if he insisted on keeping Wood in Spain?
This was not a simple contradiction between a player's professional life and the pursuit of glory. If it were only that, Tang En would probably be much more relaxed.
Seeing that the UEFA European Championship was about to start, Tang En decided to talk to Wood again. This time might be his last chance to make a choice. No matter the outcome, he had to make a decision. He did not want such a troublesome matter to occupy an important place in his mind until June 8th.
※ ※ ※
Wood climbed out of the swimming pool, wiped the water droplets off his face, and saw Tang En squatting in front of him.
"How do you feel?" he asked.
"I feel fine," Wood replied.
"I'm very troubled right now, George." Tang En looked at Wood climbing up and handed him a dry towel.
Wood did not reply. He wiped the water off his head and sat on the edge of the pool next to Tang En.
"I talked to Professor Wallace just now. He said you can't play in the group stage with your injury. In other words, if you want to play, the England team needs to make it to the knockout stages. I'm a little worried about the group stage … "
"No problem." Wood interrupted Tang En's words, and this sentence popped out without any rhyme or reason.
"Huh? What's no problem? "
"They'll be fine in the group stage." Wood trusted his teammates.
Tang En nodded. If he said it was no problem, then it was no problem. "Well, then what about your condition?"
Wood answered honestly, "I don't know. I've never played before, so I don't know how my condition is."
"You haven't touched football for so many days, your feet must be rusty, right?"
Wood moved his ankles and shook his head. "No."
Tang En smiled.
"George, we actually still have the World Cup …"
"I know. I want the UEFA European Championship too. "Wood was a little" greedy. "
This time, Tang En laughed out loud. He laughed so hard that he almost fell into the pool.
"You're so greedy, George!"
"Don't you want it?" Wood asked.
Tang En grinned. "Greed is my favorite sin."
There was a moment of silence between the two men before Tang En said, "George, do you really want to play in this UEFA European Championship?"
"Yes."
"There's a lot of risk in this decision. It's like a gamble."
Wood did not answer. He waited for Tang En to continue.
"I've been insisting to the media that you can make it to the UEFA European Championship, but now I have to admit to them that the real situation is not so."
Wood's brows furrowed. He had a bad feeling.
"Doing this will put me and the team under great pressure, but I hope you can prove to them that it's worth it. Do you remember what I said in the hospital? As long as there's hope for you to recover, I'll take you to Spain. " Tang En looked at Wood. "Now, Professor Wallace told me that your recovery date is in the knockout stage. In other words, in order to play in the competition, you need to miss three matches in the group stage, and I can't guarantee that your wait for these three matches will be meaningful. I don't know if there will be any accidents in between, so even if it's the knockout stage, I don't know if you can play in the competition. Maybe it's because you haven't fully recovered from your injury, or maybe it's because your condition is too bad … Even so, do you still want to continue? "
Wood nodded. "I want to stay."
Tang En clapped his hands. "Well, I've decided. We'll participate in the UEFA European Championship together. I'll give you three matches in the group stage. I hope you can come back healthy and make it to the Round of 16. "
"If you can't, then I'll play against you."
Tang En laughed. He touched Wood's wet hair and felt a weight lifted off his heart. From now on, no matter what the outcome was, he had to face it.
However, he was not worried because it was his own decision. No one forced him, and no one begged him to make a decision that was not in line with his wishes. What was there to worry about?
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
