In the next few days, Ethan was extremely busy.
On the second day after transmigrating, Ethan decided on the spot to name the club Manchester United Football Club [FC United of Manchester], abbreviated as FC Manchester United. Internally, everyone liked to call it the new Manchester United, nicknamed the Red Rebels.
Since there were still four vacancies in the North West Counties League Division Two, the FA allowed the new Manchester United to join directly. However, this still required the FA to notify the other clubs in Division Two, and only after the majority agreed could the team officially be added.
Of course, generally speaking, once the FA agreed, other clubs rarely objected.
Because David Pace had already agreed to lend the Butcher's Knife Stadium to the new Manchester United for free, they did not need to look for a home ground for at least a year. At the same time, Walsh used his connections to find a temporary training ground in Newton Heath.
For Manchester United supporters, Newton Heath is sacred. It is the birthplace of the club.
It was precisely because of this history that when the relevant parties in Newton Heath agreed to allow the new Manchester United to train there, the British newspapers immediately hyped it up.
For fans, stepping into Newton Heath felt like coming home.
After finalizing the home stadium and training ground, Ethan rented a small office near the Newton Heath facility as the temporary headquarters of the new Manchester United. For now, he was the only official staff member. Walsh and David helped as volunteers. They were also recruiting a clerk to handle odd jobs, though the salary would definitely not be high.
On the day the club was founded, Ethan did not hold a big celebration. It was only one of more than 7,000 amateur clubs in England, and nothing worth celebrating yet.
"If one day we make it to the Premier League, or we have our own stadium and training ground, then I will throw a celebration so big that the whole of Manchester hears our voices!" Ethan said after politely declining the suggestion from the Manchester United supporters' club.
As the World Cup in France approached, the world's attention was focused there. An amateur club founded in Newton Heath, Manchester naturally did not attract much notice. It was only briefly mentioned in the local paper, and even then, just a short article.
After the club was established, player trials were also nearing their conclusion.
In total, more than 1,300 people participated in the seven-day tryouts. Excluding those who clearly came just for fun, such as taxi driver Jim, more than 500 players passed the initial registration review.
According to feedback from the FA, this was a new record for the number of trialists at a newly established club, far ahead of second place.
From over 500 players, only 17 would be selected. That showed just how fierce the competition was, but it also guaranteed the strength of the new Manchester United squad. Many newspapers even concluded that the championship of the upcoming Northwest Division Two season did not need to be played, as the title would surely go directly to the new Manchester United.
Although the final 17-man roster had not yet been announced, the level of several players already confirmed gave a clear sign of the team's strength.
Not to mention Rhodri Giggs, Ryan Giggs' younger brother, 21 years old, quick, and skillful. He might not be professional league material, but he was more than capable of dominating at amateur level.
Since Ethan knew Rhodri Giggs' ability, he signed him in advance. He would receive a wage of £60 per week at the new Manchester United, plus goal-scoring bonuses.
Karl Marginson, 28 years old, defensive midfielder, a professional who had played three years for Rotherham in League Two before moving to the National League. A Manchester native, he strongly supported Ethan's initiative to form the new Manchester United, and as soon as he heard about the trials, he came running.
Incidentally, it was on the second day of the tryouts that Marginson knocked Ethan unconscious during a kickabout, which directly led to Ethan's transmigration.
In the original timeline, when the new Manchester United was founded in 2005, Karl Marginson became the club's first manager and led them to three consecutive promotions. At amateur level, his ability as a player was more than enough.
Darren Lyons, a right midfielder, wasn't particularly quick, but standing 185 cm with excellent leaping ability, he dominated aerial duels. What made him truly valuable to the new Manchester United was his precise crossing and thunderous long-range shots. He was also dangerous on set pieces.
When Ethan first saw the player, who had just terminated his contract with a National League club, a thought immediately came to mind: this 31-year-old veteran would become the Beckham of the new Manchester United.
Another player worth mentioning was Jonathan Maten, a 22-year-old striker who had also played in the National League. His grandfather was Charlie Maten of the "Busby Babes." Because of that legacy, he was willing to drop five divisions and return to play for the new Manchester United.
With these four high-level players, along with many others who had experience in higher divisions, the new Manchester United, though freshly formed, was immediately regarded as the heavy favorite to win the Northwest Division Two title.
Despite the promising outlook, Ethan remained cautious.
During this period, he often visited Steve Bruce whenever possible, but he no longer directly mentioned hiring him. Instead, he changed his approach, consulting Bruce on team operations and player contracts.
Bruce answered everything patiently, offering detailed advice. He even made his own suggestions regarding the new Manchester United, such as agreeing that a youth academy should be created once funds were available, since it is the foundation of any club.
He also helped Ethan purchase training equipment. Since funds were tight, Ethan could not afford the kind of facilities wealthy clubs had, so Bruce helped him choose standard tools for daily training. This was not Ethan's area of expertise, so he was grateful.
"Thanks to you. Without your help, I really wouldn't know what to do!"
That became Ethan's most common line to Bruce in those days. Bruce usually only smiled, not taking it seriously.
In fact, Ethan had guessed right. Bruce truly wanted to further his coaching career. That was his main reason for leaving Birmingham. But since leaving, no club had reached out to him. Ethan, however, continued to pester him for help.
In the process, Bruce himself learned a lot while helping. Running an amateur club required attention to details he had often overlooked before. Seeing how even a grassroots club had so many issues, he realized how much more complex it must be for a top-flight giant. These lessons would certainly be valuable for his own future career.
Of course, while busy with club matters, Ethan had not forgotten to solve the financial problem.
As a transmigrator, his greatest asset was his knowledge of the years to come. He knew very well that France would win the upcoming World Cup, Davor Šuker of Croatia would be top scorer with 6 goals, and the biggest dark horse would indeed be Croatia, reaching the semi-finals.
In 2010 this knowledge would be trivial for fans, but back in 1998, before the World Cup kicked off, it was priceless insider information.
Ethan did not bet recklessly. He first spent a few days in Walsh's bar, learning the ropes of football betting from the old gamblers there. Only then did he carefully place scattered bets according to his knowledge.
He didn't stake too much, just £700,000, which was actually his entire fortune. The rest of his money was transferred into the new Manchester United's account to cover operating costs.
Once the bets were placed, Ethan finally felt a little relief. If history had not changed too much, then according to his betting strategy and the current odds, even after accounting for the money he had deliberately spread around, he could make at least £30 million in profit.
That was Ethan's way of avoiding attention. If he had gone all in, he would have made much more.
After settling the betting, Ethan returned his focus to the team.
Because the number of trialists for each position varied, some positions had a surplus while others were lacking, particularly goalkeeper and left-back.
The special nature of the goalkeeper position meant Ethan could not be careless. Bruce said that if necessary, he could arrange to loan one from a higher-level team. But the left-back position was trickier. Few left-footed players turned up at the trials, and most of them were forwards or wingers. Converting them to full-back would be a gamble.
"It seems we still need to find a proper left-back for the team!" Ethan did not like leaving things to chance.
But as a newly founded club, without scouts, reputation, or even a confirmed head coach, where could he find such players?
As a last resort, he asked David Pace for help. But David was just as worried, since his own team also lacked a left-footed player and often had to rely on a right-back to cover.
Only then did Ethan fully understand why left-footed players were so valued in European football in the years to come, and why even Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Brazil often struggled to find reliable left-backs.
And then it hit him. A name flashed across his mind. Wasn't he left-footed?
(To be continued.)