Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 190

“Waaaaah!!!”

The enthusiastic cheers of the crowd reverberated through the state-of-the-art stadium as a player stood on the sideline with the assistant referee.

While lightly warming up and checking his cleats and equipment according to the assistant referee’s instructions, Burnley’s fitness coach, Paulo Morao, who had followed him to the sideline, gave him final instructions.

“I’ll say it again, we have plenty of substitutions available. So, if you feel anything strange with your body while playing, tell me immediately. As the manager said, it’s more important to gradually increase your playing time from today to regain your match fitness.”

The player nodded calmly as he listened to the instructions.

“Understood.”

He had spent a long, arduous rehabilitation period, during which he sometimes felt close to and other times wanted to curse the fitness coach. But seeing the middle-aged Portuguese man’s face filled with worry, expectation, and relief, the player forced a smile.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll just run lightly and get back into the rhythm.”

“Hmm…”

He had already gone through rehabilitation with the youth and reserve teams, but today was his official first-team debut.

It was the Carabao Cup quarter-final and even the opening ceremony of the New Turf Moor, but he had adamantly refused the coaching staff’s cautious suggestion to make his debut in the next game.

At least in his mind, he had rested long enough.

Adam Hlozek.

21 years old this year.

A Czech national, he was a promising talent who had been carefully nurtured by Sparta Prague, a prestigious Czech club, since his youth.

He made his debut in the regular league at the young age of 16, becoming the club’s youngest debutant. He was the hope of Sparta Prague and the Czech national team.

A versatile attacker capable of playing as a center-forward and on both the right and left wings.

In the 2020/21 season, despite being sidelined for four months due to injury, he was still the joint top scorer in the Czech First League, demonstrating his excellent scoring ability.

And in the 2022/23 season, as he was rapidly developing, he faced Burnley four times in the Europa League, including the group stage and the semi-finals.

Burnley eventually won the Europa League, so it was essentially a complete defeat for him. Still, perhaps it was thanks to his persistent harassment of the opposing team.

Before the summer transfer window officially opened, Burnley rushed in and snatched him away, and he left his beloved Sparta Prague to don the claret and blue uniform.

He had received many offers from the German Bundesliga [Germany’s professional football league], but from the moment he heard from his agent that Burnley wanted him, Adam Hlozek had only one choice.

The English Premier League, considered the best league in the world, and a young, renowned manager who was causing a sensation in European football.

And the young, energetic team he led.

However, while he was overwhelmed by their incredible activity and pressure when he actually played against them on the field, he was envious of the friendly atmosphere among the players of similar age after the game.

Of course, he had also received a lot of affection from the veterans as a youth player, but it was not easy to have friends of similar age within the team while living as a first-team player since he was 16.

Moreover, the expectations of fans and teammates that he would do something amazing in any crisis situation.

It would be a lie to say that such things did not weigh heavily on his shoulders on some days.

He chose Burnley without hesitation, wanting to escape from the past as the club’s youth academy ace and the pressure of having to be the focal point of every attack, and to grow by competing with the best players on the best stage in Europe.

Then, in his first pre-season game after joining Burnley, he suffered a serious leg injury and was sidelined for four months.

While his positional rivals and Burnley’s current team situation were being actively discussed by the media in his home country, Adam Hlozek was simply grateful to be back on the field.

“The space between number 23 and number 16 keeps opening up. If you break through there, they’ll quickly swarm you, so watch for an opportunity to push through.”

Emanuel Vignato, who had rushed to the sideline as soon as he saw the substitution board, told him in a whisper while giving him a high-five.

Number 23 was left-back Luke Shaw, and number 16 was center-back Çalar Söyüncü, who was positioned on the left.

The opposing defenders were blocking the right flank of Burnley, where Emanuel Vignato had been playing and where he was now supposed to enter.

“Okay. Thanks.”

“No problem. Congrats on your debut!”

Emanuel Vignato stepped off the sideline, and with the assistant referee’s signal, Adam Hlozek took his first step onto the field.

It was the moment when Burnley’s new weapon, poised to take the Premier League by storm, made his debut.

***

“Uh oh?!”

Manchester United’s left-back Luke Shaw desperately stretched out his left leg to block the dribbling breakthrough, with a look of bewilderment on his face.

“Tch!”

As if his physical condition had not fully recovered, Burnley’s young prospect clicked his tongue as he watched the ball, slightly out of his reach, roll out of bounds after being caught on the opposing defender’s foot.

However, Luke Shaw, who had desperately defended the opponent’s breakthrough by conceding a throw-in right next to the penalty box, felt cold sweat running down his back.

How is this possible?

He’s almost 190 centimeters tall [approximately 6’3″], but he’s agile, nimble, and his dribbling is even on par with Dwight McNeil, Burnley’s gem on the opposite side.

The combination of a giant physique and agile technique is reminiscent of Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez or Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.

Our team’s damn scouting team can’t properly reinforce the team’s strength even after pouring in that huge amount of money, but Burnley, who made record profits from player sales in the last summer transfer window, brings in players at low prices and yet promising talents appear like a cornucopia.

“Are you okay?”

Luke Shaw shook his head at the question from his teammate Çalar Söyüncü, who approached him.

“I’m okay… but that guy, he’s a bit scary, isn’t he?”

“Hmm…”

The Turkish international center-back hummed.

He has eyes, so there’s no way he doesn’t know what’s happening on the left side of the defense right now.

No, all eyes in the stadium are focused on the duel taking place on the left side of Manchester United’s penalty box.

The Burnley players are smirking and laughing as they supply the ball to the right, and Adam Hlozek, who receives the ball, attempts to break through Luke Shaw in various ways, which Luke Shaw barely manages to stop.

It’s like a gladiator match in Roman times, with all attention focused here. If he blocks it, Burnley quickly regains possession and supplies the ball to the right again.

However, if they shift the defense to protect this side, they feel a sense of unease that the opposite side will be left open and they will be vulnerable to a counterattack.

While they are stuck in this dilemma, the one who is dying is Manchester United’s left-back Luke Shaw, who has to keep facing the tall attacker.

Moreover, that guy has just come on as a substitute and is full of energy…

“Okay. I’ll try to support you more closely.”

Çalar Söyüncü said, seeing his teammate’s exhausted face.

“Please do.”

Luke Shaw, glancing at his teammate turning around and returning to his position, alternately looked at Burnley’s right-back Oscar Mingueza, who had already come up and was preparing for a throw-in, and the right-winger Adam Hlozek, who was giving him a hard time.

Is this really okay?

He is filled with anxiety that he might be being played by that cunning Burnley manager’s tactics no matter what he does.

As his mood darkened, Luke Shaw looked at his manager in the technical area, who was also watching the game with a dark expression.

***

Manchester United abandoned their existing 3-5-2 formation and switched to a 4-3-3 formation in the second half.

Simone Inzaghi, the manager of Manchester United, acknowledged that the game was not going well because they were being completely overwhelmed in midfield.

They took out center-back Benjamin Pavard, who had been sluggish throughout the first half, and formed a back four by lowering both wing-backs. Jadon Sancho was brought in to replace Benjamin Pavard, reinforcing the attack.

With Cristiano Ronaldo, now approaching 38, at the center, Marcus Rashford on the left, and Jadon Sancho on the right.

Casemiro, Scott McTominay, and Bruno Fernandes supported them from behind, while Luke Shaw, Çalar Söyüncü, Raphael Varane, and Diogo Dalot formed the defense.

Behind them, the unwavering goalkeeper David de Gea guarded the goal.

But what’s the point of changing the formation like this?

Simone Inzaghi’s idea was to reinforce the attack and push Burnley back by threatening them with counterattacks, but Hyungmin countered it directly.

Rather, the Burnley players, who were even more advanced than in the first half, were putting intense pressure on Manchester United, as if they wouldn’t even allow them to cross the halfway line.

The long kicks they occasionally attempted were easily blocked by Burnley’s goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, who rushed out of the goal.

And the attempts of Burnley’s attack, who were constantly looking for opportunities to exploit Manchester United, who were desperately struggling to prevent further goals, finally paid off.

“Çalar!”

Luke Shaw shouted like a scream, but it was already too late.

The young Burnley attacker, whose match fitness was visibly improving, finally succeeded in getting past him and began to break through fiercely from the left side of the penalty box towards the center.

“Stop him!”

Goalkeeper David de Gea’s firm command was issued, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

The center-back duo, Çalar Söyüncü and Raphael Varane, were unable to move because they were busy marking Lorenzo Lucca, who had scored the opening goal in the first half, and right-back Diogo Dalot was in a staring contest with Burnley’s left-winger Dwight McNeil.

The Manchester United midfielders, who had been pushed back to the edge of the penalty box, were too busy trying to keep up with the Burnley midfielders who were pouring into the penalty box like a flood.

Even Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho came down to try to help with the defense, but frankly, it would be a relief if they didn’t get in the way.

David de Gea, who quickly assessed the situation on the field, rushed forward, leaving the goal empty.

He tried to block the goal as much as possible by spreading his arms and legs wide, but…

“…That bastard!”

Regardless of David de Gea’s curse, Adam Hlozek, who was rushing fiercely into the penalty box, lightly scooped the ball up by placing his foot under the bottom of the ball.

The first shot he took in his debut match, which had been delayed by four months, was a chip shot.

The elegantly rising ball went over the Manchester United goalkeeper, who was flailing his arms, and continued to rise, finally reaching its peak and then losing its power, falling towards the ground in a gentle curve.

The ball narrowly avoided the top of the goal and fell straight into the goal.

“Uwaaaaa!!!”

The home fans, who were certain of an additional goal with the movement of the ball that bounced once on the ground and then nestled into the net, all stood up and cheered, waving their fists.

With all of Manchester United’s defense unable to move, the hope of the Czech national team raised both arms and announced his spectacular debut.