The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 89 English Center

"Mark Hughes is an outstanding striker and the most English center forward in the Red Devils. As one of the most critical cornerstone players in Ferguson's reconstruction of the Red Devils, his return is a key node in Ferguson's revival of the Red Devils."

--Inscription

Mark Hughes' earliest impression of Ferguson was the meeting at Munich Airport.

Hughes later recalled: "At that time, I had not rejoined the Red Devils. I just met him briefly and had a brief conversation. I was not familiar with him, but my first impression of him was very deep. He emphasized the elements that the Red Devils needed now and hoped that I would come back to play for the Red Devils."

Hughes remembers that Ferguson was full of energy, full of confidence, and his eyes were sparkling. Hughes agreed to Ferguson without hesitation. "I almost didn't put forward any conditions, because I felt that Ferguson had rescued me from disaster. I was terrible at Barcelona and it was not easy at Bayern. That was not the football I wanted. I was very lonely and completely isolated from the team. No one gave me a chance. I was like a fool."

Hughes said: "Ferguson and the Red Devils wanted me, and Charlton came to me personally. How could I hesitate? I was afraid that things would change, so I agreed immediately. I later learned how much hard work Ferguson had put in to bring me in."

Indeed, it was not easy for Ferguson to buy Mark Hughes. It was much more difficult than buying a center forward of similar level.

He first had to overcome the Red Devils chairman Edwards, who was adamantly against the team going back to the old ways and inviting a former Red Devils player. Ferguson later moved out of Charlton, which made Edwards reluctantly agree. Then the other members of the coaching staff were not too enthusiastic, as they believed that Hughes no longer had the original strength and his competitive level had dropped significantly. The players in the locker room were also very negative, but Ferguson still pushed down these obstacles.

This decision is so special that the Catalans are incredulous. Mark Hughes came from the Red Devils and was sold without hesitation by Atkinson and Edwards. Why are they asking him to come back now?

Ferguson refused to care about that, he just wanted to get Mark Hughes.

Mark Hughes is a Welshman, born on November 1963, 11 in Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales. Mark Hughes has loved football since he was a child and showed his talent very early, but because he was in a remote area of ​​Wales, he received too little attention. Hughes grew up in the local football youth training system in Wrexham and occasionally participated in community football matches. But even so, his outstanding performance would cause amazement. In the process of Hughes' growth, it was not that there were no youth training camps of English League One teams inviting him to participate, but Hughes' family refused for other considerations. At the age of 1, Hughes made up his mind to devote himself to professional football, and then he was quickly discovered by the Red Devils' scouts, successfully entered the Red Devils' youth training system, and then promoted to the youth team.

Unlike those who joined the youth training system of the League One team at the age of 11 or 13, Hughes is indeed a late bloomer. When he joined the Red Devils youth team, players like Whiteside and Lee Martin had already trained here for several years.

Even so, Hughes was well trained in the Red Devils and made rapid progress. All of this was because Hughes met his first mentor in his career, Owen, who was the Red Devils U18 coach at the time.

Owen was very serious about leading the team and was very responsible for every child. He observed and studied Hughes' training sessions for many times, and then suggested that Hughes, who was playing in the midfield at the time, change to a forward position. "This is of course a huge challenge and a risk for you. But believe me, kid, you have a better sense of smell for the goal and are more suitable to play as a forward. Your current thin stature may affect your impact, and the body can be trained, but the talent for playing as a forward cannot be trained at all."

Coach Owen's advice was very unusual, but it was very forward-looking and encouraging. Hughes, who was as thin as a bamboo pole at the time, couldn't even play well in the midfield, so how could he be suitable for playing as a striker? Hughes was short and thin, and his body was weak. He was simply a waste in the forest of flesh of the defenders. Not to mention scoring in front of the goal, he couldn't even stand in the penalty area. The English football youth training has long continued the system and concept of the adult team. The first thing to consider is physical fitness. The most concerned are height, strength, speed, etc. Youth training players will actively seek confrontation. Speed ​​is very popular, and strength and height are also important. Hughes has no chance in any of them.

But Owen has his own unique ideas. He firmly believes that Hughes should change his position. Mark Hughes trusts Owen very much. Since the coach told him to play as a striker, he took the initiative to transform. Hughes has a strong character, a strong competitive spirit, and can work hard in training. Although his body is at a disadvantage, he is very brave. He will not hesitate to get injured to grab points, go to the top, and fight with defenders again and again, and consciously train his sense of smell in front of the goal. Hughes strives to learn the center forward technique, whether it is heading, grabbing shots, or supporting in the penalty area, inserting shots... He always listens carefully to the coach's guidance, works hard to hone various movements, and improves his level. Hughes is not afraid of hardship and always practices hard. He often practices 500 volleys in a specific position, 500 headers in front of the goal, and 200 short-distance sprints repeatedly... Everything has become the accumulation and wealth of Hughes' unremitting struggle.

Even if he was violently violated during a team match, even if his teammates knocked him down again and again, even if his opponents saw through his intentions... Hughes would never give up. After falling down, he would pat his butt and stand up like a spring. After being knocked down, he would continue to participate in the next point-grabbing training as if nothing had happened. Hughes actively increased strength training and carefully observed how his predecessors attacked, how to shoot, and how to use their bodies properly. He learned how to judge and choose the timing, how to use simple and efficient movements to complete the shot, and how to coordinate and prepare for the next attack.

Hughes quickly gained weight and his strength was enhanced. He was no longer a bean sprout who fell to the ground when he was violated, but a steel warrior who could carry people with his back. Even if the opponent committed a rough foul, Hughes responded fearlessly and rushed more fiercely to fight for the next opportunity.

The more setbacks and failures he encountered, the more he refused to admit defeat; the more difficult it was, the harder he worked to slack off. Hughes grew up through repeated confrontations and collisions.

After four years of training, Hughes was promoted from a youth team player to a first-team player, and made his debut for the Red Devils in November 1983. Hughes performed very well in that game. He ran actively, spared no effort to grab points, seized the opportunity to score a goal, and made a contribution to the team. Hughes continued to get opportunities, making 11 appearances for the Red Devils and scoring 11 goals.

For a 20-year-old young man, this is not a brilliant start, but it is already a pretty good result.

In the 1984-1985 season, Hughes ushered in the first good time of his career. He secured a starting position and scored 24 goals for the Red Devils, helping the Red Devils win the FA Cup and reach the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. He also became a dazzling new star in Europe.

The Red Devils fans immediately fell in love with this newcomer, affectionately nicknamed him "Spark", and he became the darling of Old Trafford.

At the beginning of the 1985-86 season, Hughes played very well. He scored 13 goals in the first 10 games of the season, helping the team to win consecutive games. Hughes' excellent goal-scoring ability, excellent form, and keen sense of smell in front of the goal made him shine in the center position, becoming a shining new star in English football and attracting the attention of the giant Barcelona.

The subsequent story was that Hughes struggled in Barcelona and Munich. It was not until the summer of 1988 that Ferguson and Charlton personally came to Munich and directly finalized Hughes' return to Manchester.

Ferguson was very persistent and believed that Mark Hughes was exactly the striker the Red Devils needed most: strong, brave, well-aware, technically sound, able to score goals steadily, and able to adapt to the environment, be familiar with the team, and remain healthy.

Ferguson believes that "Mark Hughes did not play well in Spain and was very quiet in Bayern. This is not just his fault, nor is it a problem of his ability. Hughes has excellent offensive ability and is familiar with the English environment. We need his offensive ability, but we must also realize that he needs the support of his teammates, the right tactics, and the right system. He received too little support in Spain or Germany. This is not a league he is good at. Only the environment of England is suitable for him."

Ferguson said, "In Manchester United, I believe he will be successful again."

Mark Hughes returned successfully and became a member of the Red Devils again.

Mark Hughes wasn't the only player to wear a Manchester United shirt twice, but he played for Ferguson the first time. It would never happen again in Ferguson's long history as a manager of the Red Devils. Even when Beckham wanted to return to the Red Devils before leaving for the MLS after his contract with Real Madrid ended, and then looked for opportunities to return to Europe, Ferguson had no interest in it.

Bosnich? Although he joined the Red Devils twice, he was not a starter and only served as a water dispenser manager on the bench.

After Ferguson retired, the Red Devils tried to sign back former stars more than once, but without exception these attempts all failed in the end.

This summer, not only the Red Devils recalled old players, but Liverpool, who dominated the English League One, also bought back Ian Rush from Juventus for a record transfer fee of 280 million pounds. Rush's reputation far exceeded Hughes' at the time, and his return caused a sensation in the entire English football world.

Ferguson also signed a lot of players this summer. Mal Donaghy came from Luton Town and spent 65 pounds on the Red Devils. This was a candidate for rotation of central defenders, but he played more games than McGrath. Ferguson also recruited goalkeeper Leighton, which was also an important replacement. Lee Martin was a substitute last season, and Ferguson put him on the main list. Ralph Miner and Gilino Mylana were young players brought in by the Red Devils as backups. In addition, a new face appeared in the Red Devils youth team - Lee Sharp, who was a youth training player bought by Ferguson for 20 pounds and was Ferguson's first investment in the future.

Ferguson gained another benefit from this visit to Spain with Charlton. "I will never forget the scene at that time," Ferguson recalled. "We signed the contract at Camp Nou. We looked around the stadium and saw the tall stands. We were full of expectations and passion. Bobby said we should be as successful as Barcelona. Why not? I told him that we would be like the best club in the world. Whether it is sports performance or business operation, we will be among the best in the world. Bobby said he was looking forward to seeing that day."

Back in Manchester, Ferguson and Charlton began to take action.

Ferguson specifically proposed the expansion of Old Trafford, believing that the stadium should soon be packed with fans. Ferguson told the Red Devils board: "We are determined to become a top European club, but the capacity of our home stadium is only 10,000 people, while the capacity of Camp Nou is nearly twice that of the Red Devils. This gap is unacceptable in any way."

Ferguson said: "We will play exciting football and fans will flock to the Theatre of Dreams. It will be a great stadium and a place where passion gathers."

With Ferguson's continuous efforts, the expansion and upgrading project of Old Trafford officially began. The capacity of the Theatre of Dreams has been increasing, and finally reached the technical limit of the last century, and the gap with Camp Nou has been narrowed step by step. Under Ferguson's diligent work, the Red Devils' games have become more and more exciting, and fans are more and more fond of going to the scene to feel the passion of the team. The Theatre of Dreams has gradually become full.

Ferguson is a man of action. Through team building and improved match performance, he put the Red Devils' business operations on the right track.