The Next Big Thing

Erik ten Hag stood in front of a whiteboard, his sharp eyes scanning the list of names written beside it. Mounted next to the board was a plaque displaying the names of all the players under his charge. Behind him, his team of assistant coaches sat attentively, waiting for his next words.

Letting out a slow exhale, he rubbed his temple before finally speaking.

"Before we even begin selecting the squad, we have a problem." His voice was firm, carrying a weight of authority as he turned around to face his coaching staff.

"The squad limit is 28 players," he continued. "But unlike in the Dutch league, Premier League regulations state that we can only register 25 players for the season."

A moment of silence followed as his words settled. Then, Mike Phelan, one of the senior figures among the coaching staff, leaned forward and said, "Sir, that’s not really an issue."

Ten Hag’s gaze shifted to him, waiting for an explanation.

"Well, coach, you might not be fully familiar with the specifics of Premier League squad registration rules, but this isn’t something we need to worry about," Phelan explained. "We can simply exclude Mason Greenwood, Brandon Williams, and Daniel James from the senior registration list. They all qualify for the U21 category, which means they don’t need to be registered in the main squad. Antony and David Jones also meet the same criteria, so that gives us some breathing space."

Ten Hag absorbed the information, nodding slightly before responding, "Oh? That’s good to know. That takes one concern off my plate."

His attention returned to the whiteboard, but his expression remained serious. "That being said, we still have another problem."

The room remained silent as he continued.

"We have a squad of 28 players, but only 18 can be selected for a matchday squad. That includes 11 starters and 7 substitutes. Ideally, I would have liked more time to properly evaluate each player’s consistency, but since we don’t have that luxury, we need to finalize our selections now."