The Next Big Thing
Chapter 150: Reaction

Chapter 150: Reaction

Manchester united 20/21 matchday squad

Goalkeepers (2):

David De Gea

Dean Henderson

Defenders (6):

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Harry Maguire

Luke Shaw

Victor Lindelöf

Alex Telles

Eric Bailly

Midfielders (5):

Bruno Fernandes

Paul Pogba

Scott McTominay

Fred

Donny van de Beek

Forwards (5):

Cristiano Ronaldo

Antony

Mason Greenwood

David Jones

Marcus Rashford

The squad list had been up for barely an hour before chaos erupted.

It was supposed to be an internal matter—a simple, old-school method of selection, posted on the team’s wall in Carrington for the players to see. A straightforward way for the squad to check if they’d made the cut. No fanfare, no notifications—just tradition.

But this was 2020. A time when secrets didn’t exist, when privacy was nothing more than an illusion. It took less than ten minutes for the list to leak online, and within twenty, the entire football world had seen it.

And of course, Fabrizio Romano was the one to break the news first.

Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano

🔴✨ Manchester United’s 20/21 squad lineup for the new season—picked directly by Erik ten Hag. The Red Devils are ready. 🚨 #MUFC #PremierLeague

💬 6.3K Comments 🔁 12K Retweets ❤️ 47K Likes

The internet, as expected, exploded.

Fan Reactions

@DotGov: What is this??? Where is Martial?? Is Ten Hag insane, or did I miss something?? Is Martial injured or something?? 🤯😳

@MizuKen: LET’S GO CRISTIANO RONALDO!!! The greatest to ever do it! We are SO winning the Prem this season! 🔥🐐

@Youngboss06: I can understand Greenwood, but who the fuck is DAVID JONES??? To start over Martial??? Are we deadass serious??

@Silver_Savant: Fabrizio, please, any news about the Sancho deal yet? I NEED to know if he’s coming or not. 🤞🔴

@Seth_Frawley_7184: Fab, we don’t care about this. Why don’t you post about Kai Havertz and his transfer to Chelsea? Now THAT’S a proper club. 😴💙

😂 @FootyBantz77: Nahhh, what is this coach doing? Posting the squad like it’s a school noticeboard?? Are we in 2005?? 💀🤣

🤔 @RedDevilFury: So let me get this straight... Greenwood over Martial? DAVID JONES over Martial? Are we even trying to win games or just running social experiments??

🔥 @Joketuase: Trey using Martial as his DP and instantly he got dropped from the squad... the curse is real. Future Ballon d’Or winner to this? 😭😭

😂 @FootyMemeCentral: Ten Hag treating the squad like X-Factor auditions. "Martial, I’m sorry to say... you have NOT made it through to the next round." 🤡💀

😡 @MartialFanatic: 23 goals in a season once, and THIS is what he gets? Greenwood was playing FIFA Career Mode last year and gets in over Martial??

@DotGov: Wait. I just came back. Martial isn’t injured. What’s happening?? 🤯

📢 @TheRealRedDevil: At this point, I’m convinced Ten Hag picked the squad by pulling names out of a hat. There’s no other explanation. 🤦🏽‍♂️

🤣 @BananaJoe1878: David Jones sounds like a guy working in HR, not a footballer starting over Martial. Be serious.

@DotGov: Fab has to have posted a fake list. There’s NO way this is real. Martial out?? 😭

👀 @RivalsLaughing: Manchester United in 2021: Posting match squads on a piece of paper like it’s a primary school P.E. lesson. Nothing surprises me anymore.

😂 @PureShithousery: Ten Hag really woke up and said, "You know what this club needs? Less Martial, more David Jones." I need whatever he’s smoking who even is that.

@DotGov: Nope. Not believing it. This has to be a mistake. Someone tell me this is a mistake. 😤

The meltdown was real.

And it wasn’t just the general public losing their minds. The Overlap, the popular YouTube football talk show hosted by Gary Neville, had already picked up the story. Seated around the table were some of the biggest voices in football—Jamie Carragher, Roy Keane, Ian Wright, and Jill Scott—all gearing up to tear into the squad selection.

Neville, rubbing his chin, let out a long sigh before speaking.

"Right then... let’s talk about it. Martial out. David Jones in. What’s happening at Manchester United?"

Roy Keane, never one to hold back, was the first to speak. His voice was sharp, his Irish accent cutting through the tension in the studio.

"It’s not just David bloody Jones. Apart from maybe Cristiano, NO ONE in that squad should be starting ahead of Martial. Let’s be honest—he’s been United’s best forward for the past season, and now he’s completely out? It’s madness."

Ian Wright nodded in agreement, his expression serious. "You’re spot on, Roy. Martial carried them in a lot of big moments last season. He’s got the pace, the finishing, the ability to create something out of nothing. You don’t just bin a player like that."

But Jamie Carragher, always ready to play devil’s advocate, raised an eyebrow. "From what we’ve gathered, Ten Hag based his squad selection on the latest training sessions. And by all accounts, Martial was poor—really poor. That’s why he’s been dropped."

Gary Neville frowned. "So what, one bad training session and he’s out?" He gestured toward Carragher. "Come on now, Jamie. That’s ridiculous. A player’s form in a single training session shouldn’t override what he’s done across an entire season. Martial has proven he can score goals—he should be trusted more."

Roy Keane scoffed. "Exactly! Managers need to understand that players need time. You don’t just throw away your best attacker because of one training session. That’s ludicrous. Ferguson never did that."

Jamie Carragher leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Oh, here we go again—every conversation comes back to Ferguson."

Jill Scott, who had been listening intently, finally joined in. "Well, Roy’s got a point. The best managers don’t make rash decisions. If you look at how City and Liverpool operate, they back their best players. Pep didn’t bench De Bruyne for one bad training session. Klopp didn’t throw Salah out after a bad game."

"That’s the difference between a top manager and an inexperienced one," Keane muttered.

Neville sighed. "And that brings us to a bigger issue—Ten Hag is changing everything. Completely tearing apart the system."

Carragher sat up, suddenly interested. "And what do you think of that?"

Neville exhaled. "I think it might not be smart. Look, I get that he wants to bring in his own ideas, but this is exactly what Moyes did. When he came in after Ferguson, he ripped apart everything that had been in place for years. He changed the staff, changed the tactics, and what happened? He lasted ten months."

Keane, who still held a grudge against Moyes for how things ended at United, nodded firmly. "Absolutely. He walked in and thought he knew better than everyone else. Got rid of Ferguson’s way of doing things and collapsed under the pressure. And now we’re seeing the same thing with Ten Hag."

Jamie Carragher suddenly burst into laughter, shaking his head. "Wait, wait, wait... are we actually comparing Ferguson’s system to Ole’s system?"

The studio went silent for a second before he continued. "I mean, come on. Ferguson’s system was legendary. Ole’s system? Really?"

Neville sighed, rubbing his temples. "Jamie, you’re missing the point. Ole was already building his squad. He had put things in place—"

Carragher cut him off, grinning. "Oh yeah, building a squad by losing two finals? Please. His system doesn’t matter."

Jill Scott chuckled but quickly redirected the conversation. "Alright, enough about managers. Let’s talk about the actual squad itself. The real issue here isn’t just Martial—it’s the fact that United are STILL focusing on attackers."

Carragher immediately pointed at her in agreement. "THANK YOU. Finally, someone making sense." He turned to Neville. "You lot are talking about Martial, Greenwood, Sancho—attackers, attackers, attackers. But the real issue is defending."

Neville nodded reluctantly. "I won’t argue with that. Our defense is weak, and instead of fixing it, we’re still chasing Sancho."

Carragher threw up his hands. "It’s ridiculous. Sancho is a fantastic player, don’t get me wrong, but what’s the point of having a firepower attack when your backline is leaking goals?"

Ian Wright leaned forward. "I mean, look at City. They went out and bought Ruben Dias. Liverpool fixed their defense with Van Dijk. United? Still rolling with Maguire and Lindelof."

Roy Keane, visibly frustrated, snapped. "That’s the problem! United have no spine. Defensively, they’re all over the place. And now we’re expecting to challenge for the league while signing attackers and ignoring the backline?"

Neville sighed. "It’s unrealistic. We don’t have a defense that can compete at the top level. Until that changes, it doesn’t matter how many wingers we buy."

Carragher smirked. "And that’s what I’ve been saying for the last five years."

The debate raged on. Manchester United were a club in transition, and everyone had an opinion. But one thing was clear—the storm at Old Trafford was only just beginning.

Meanwhile, David Jones stepped out of the tactical briefing, rolling his shoulders and stretching out his stiff muscles. Sitting through hours of analysis, absorbing tactics, and going over game plans had left him feeling sluggish. He needed to move, to shake off the weight of the long session.

Reaching for his phone, he was completely unaware that his name was already making waves across social media—but not in the way he would have wanted. Right now, none of that mattered. He had something more important on his mind.

He dialed his friend Zoey’s number, intending to check up on her. Had she gotten her console yet? How had her tournament gone? Most importantly, he couldn’t wait to share his own big news—he’d made the squad.

The call barely rang before both of their excited voices burst through at the same time.

"Guess what!"

Authors Note

"I want to take a moment to apologize for the previous Chapter—the issue has now been resolved. I truly appreciate your patience and understanding.

A huge thank you to DotGov for the two golden tickets—I’m beyond grateful! Your generosity means a lot, and I can’t wait for what’s ahead.

Thank you all for your continued support!"

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.