In an instant, the training ground fell silent. Leo Lin kept dribbling as if no one else existed, carrying the ball forward and launching a counterattack on his own.
Wijnaldum had been beaten. Leo Lin was now running straight at the back line, with only defender Gomes left in front of him.
A series of stepovers—then a cut inside to the left.
He lifted his foot as if to shoot, forcing Gomes to rush in.
But in the next second, Leo Lin pulled the ball back.
Another push, another cut.
The rhythm was flawless. Gomes was completely sent the wrong way.
Klopp's gaze locked onto Leo Lin. This was the most critical moment in evaluating a player.
Back in their Dortmund days, Klopp's staff had always emphasized one thing:
"I don't care how good your dribbling is, how pretty your take-ons look, or how accurate your passing might be."
"I only care about your final touch. If you can't kill a game, you'll never be a truly elite player."
After getting past Gomes, Leo Lin staggered slightly, but his core strength was immense. He forcibly held Gomes off at his side and powered his way into the box.
Mignolet had already rushed out, throwing everything into narrowing Leo Lin's shooting angle. There was barely any space left to shoot.
The timing was perfect. A textbook block. No mistake at all.
Yet Leo Lin's eyes stayed focused. His body shifted, the ball bursting forward with him.
With a subtle, almost casual touch—
A nutmeg.
Mignolet was completely beaten. His balance collapsed as he tried to turn and recover, but his body went down hard.
Leo Lin accelerated past him from the side, took two steps, collected the ball, and calmly rolled it into the empty net.
Team A led 1–0.
Everything had happened too fast. By the time the goal went in, Team B still hadn't fully reacted.
Wijnaldum looked at Mignolet. Mignolet looked at Gomes. All three wore the same expression: What just happened?
Assistant coach Krawietz was so excited he nearly started dancing.
"Boss!"
"Boss!!!"
"This kid's gold!"
He tried desperately to keep his voice down, vibrating with excitement beside Klopp, who remained outwardly calm.
"What are you getting so excited about?"
"At Dortmund, haven't you seen plenty of young players like this?"
"Whether this was a flash of inspiration or real ability—we still need to observe."
Klopp sounded composed, his expression steady, but Krawietz sharply noticed the hand holding the whistle.
"Boss, if you're not excited, why are you shaking? Parkinson's acting up?"
Klopp coughed twice and muttered, "Say one more word and I'll dock your perfect attendance this month—and take three days off your annual leave."
The threat worked immediately. Krawietz shut up.
Wijnaldum walked back toward his own half, eyes fixed on Leo Lin.
After scoring, the young man didn't celebrate. There was no visible excitement at all. Instead, he joked around with his teammates, as if he'd been part of the first team for years.
Leo Lin was fitting in fast.
Before long, the scrimmage resumed, and it seemed as though Klopp's eyes were fixed on Leo Lin alone.
He wanted to see whether this young man truly excelled in physical duels and whether he also had the ability to carry the ball forward.
As the tempo increased, Leo Lin didn't fall behind. He continued to show strong physicality through the middle.
Wijnaldum watched him, teeth clenched in frustration. As a first-team player with size and strength, Wijnaldum had long been Liverpool's midfield enforcer—responsible for interceptions, tackles, and defensive clean-up.
Yet now, against a newly promoted youngster, he was being completely suppressed in the very area he prided himself on most.
As more goals were scored, the atmosphere of the scrimmage grew livelier.
What was meant to be a friendly exchange between veterans and young players no longer needed sharp confrontation once Klopp had recorded enough data early on. Leo Lin played with increasing ease, and in the end, the full ninety-minute scrimmage came to a close.
Klopp held his evaluation sheet, which included ratings for the midfielders. Leo Lin's name was clearly at the top.
He didn't announce it. After a few brief reminders, he declared the session over.
"Youth academy players can return to the academy. First-team players, listen up. Tomorrow afternoon is the final physical assessment before the season starts. Everyone must participate."
"The tests include fitness, strength, and basic health indicators."
"It officially starts at three o'clock. No one is to be late."
"Lin and Ocho, you two will stay with the first team and take the pre-season tests this afternoon."
After Klopp finished speaking, the players dispersed quickly. Ocho followed closely behind Leo Lin.
"Man, you're unreal!"
"How did you manage to go head-to-head with Wijnaldum like that? Can you teach me?"
On the way back to the hotel, Ocho kept pestering him.
Leo Lin just smiled and brushed it off. It was the kind of thing that simply couldn't be explained to anyone.
Since he had only been temporarily called up, Ocho wasn't assigned a hotel by the club and stayed in Leo Lin's room.
They passed the time playing a football game. The next afternoon at two o'clock, they headed to the club together for the physical tests.
They arrived at the headquarters at around 2:30. Only a few first-team players had shown up.
Mané and Firmino were warming up, chatting casually. Leo Lin joined them and copied their warm-up movements.
"Lin, you played really well yesterday."
Mané greeted him first. Leo Lin smiled in response, and the three of them started chatting naturally.
This was exactly what Leo Lin wanted. Only by talking more with the first team could he integrate quickly—and only by integrating could he earn match opportunities.
By 2:50, most of the first-team players had arrived. After counting heads, Klopp's staff decided to start early.
The first test was endurance. During a twenty-minute run, players scored higher based on how their physical condition held up.
Leo Lin's current stamina attribute was 76. It wasn't outstanding, but for an eighteen-year-old, it was already very impressive.
He was deliberately focusing on improving his stamina. To play as a complete midfielder, physical endurance was the foundation.
After the first test, Leo Lin ranked fourteenth.
The second test—strength—began immediately.
Krawietz could practically estimate a player's deadlift just by looking.
For Liverpool's first-team players at this level, the deadlift was roughly twice their body weight. It was also the most commonly used benchmark in fitness training.
As players stepped up one by one, their results closely matched Krawietz's estimates.
Then things got playful. Some players suggested an arm-wrestling contest.
Most of it was just for fun, with players challenging opponents of similar build and strength.
Firmino, however, went unchallenged for a long time. Everyone knew that as a well-rounded striker, his strength was exceptional. On the pitch, he often created chances by overpowering strong defenders.
"Firmino, want to give it a try?"
Amid the lively chatter, that single sentence silenced the room.
Leo Lin had stepped forward to challenge Firmino to arm wrestling.
Ever since the morning session, everyone had been curious about Leo Lin's strength. No one knew where his limit was.
They knew he was strong, but with his age, no one believed he could actually beat Firmino.
Firmino looked relaxed. He rolled his wrist to warm up and stepped forward into position.
All the teammates gathered around, anticipation high.
Firmino smiled.
"Come on."
"Let me see what you're really made of."