Since it was an internal training match, there was no referee and no score was recorded, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that the team led by Keane and Giggs was clearly ahead. At least Giggs alone scored five or six goals.
After a training match, the players went to the side to rest and drink water, since more training tasks were still waiting for them.
"Hello, Ethan!" Keane and Giggs walked over side by side. For professional players, such training matches were not very intense and felt like a stroll in the park.
"Hello, Roy, Ryan!" Ethan greeted them with a smile, then introduced Messi and his father beside him.
"Messi, do you want an autograph?" Ethan asked suddenly.
Messi froze for a moment, then quickly reacted and nodded repeatedly. He scratched his head in distress and stammered, "I... I did not bring my autograph book."
Everyone burst into laughter.
"What's your name?" Giggs stepped forward, squatted down, and asked.
"Leo Messi!" Messi answered, trembling. He had never imagined that the superstars on TV would appear in front of him and squat down to talk to him.
"Oh, Leo Messi, I remember. Are you a player?" Giggs asked again.
Messi looked at his father, and when Jorge nodded, he immediately nodded too. "Yes, yes."
"It seems you have excellent technique, but your body is a bit weak. If you want to be a professional player, you need to train more and get stronger," Giggs encouraged with a smile.
Messi nodded excitedly at Giggs's encouragement.
"To play football in England, you cannot do it without a strong body," Keane said seriously.
Ethan nodded. He knew this better than anyone. For example, Verón, the White Wizard, had unquestionable technique, but due to a lack of physicality, he could not integrate at Manchester United and was criticized as an overpriced flop.
"Roy, are you having a go at Ryan? His physicality was not that good back then!" Bruce walked over with a smile.
They were all old acquaintances at Manchester United, and Bruce had been their leader, so when he spoke, Keane and Giggs did not say anything more.
"But Roy is right. You should pay attention to this issue." Bruce also knew about Messi's physical problems, so he carefully reminded Ethan.
Ethan understood that these professional stars had sharper vision than he did, so he accepted Bruce's suggestion humbly.
"Or you can try controlling your diet. I have a friend in Manchester who is a diet and nutrition expert. You can go to him for help. I have tried it myself, and the effect was quite good," Bruce continued.
"Okay, we can give it a try. I am planning to take him to Manchester Royal Infirmary in the next couple of days for a detailed physical examination by a specialist. I also have his physical data from the past year or so, so we should be able to find the most effective and reasonable treatment plan."
Ethan agreed with a smile and asked for the diet and nutrition expert's phone number.
"Then you are looking in the right place. He is an authority in this field and has many contacts. Ask him to introduce you to a reliable specialist," Bruce said with a smile.
Jorge, who was standing by, was deeply moved when he heard this. This was only their first meeting, yet they were all very concerned about Messi's condition, not for anything else, but because he was a newly signed player for New Manchester United.
This made Jorge feel that signing with New Manchester United was the right move, especially when he saw Ethan's concern for Messi, which made him more confident in his decision.
"Steve, what do you think of Evra?" After letting Walsh take Jorge and his son for a walk, Ethan asked Bruce.
"He is very fast, and he has some basic technique.
He can start in an amateur league, or be a substitute in a lower-level professional league," Bruce thought for a moment and said.
Ethan was secretly shocked that the future world-class left back was being described like this. But on second thought, it was understandable. Evra was indeed very ordinary now. Apart from his speed, he really did not have many standout skills.
"I do not think he is suited to be an attacking winger. His technique is a bit rough, and he hesitates when passing."
In this training match, Giggs and Evra played the same position, so he had the right to comment.
"Well, my suggestion is that we move him back to left back. You know, our team is also short of a left back now," Ethan suggested.
He would put forward his opinion on team tactics, but the decisions would still be made by the experts, namely the head coach.
Of course, Steve Bruce was not yet the head coach of New Manchester United, but it should be said that he was slowly falling into the trap set by Ethan and could not extricate himself.
"He has good stamina, he is very driven, and he is young. It would be a good idea to train him as a left back." Keane also expressed his opinion.
After hearing this, Bruce nodded, clearly accepting everyone's views.
Only then did Ethan realize why head coaches like to have their own coaching teams. They also need people to discuss things with and to help them. However, New Manchester United currently had only Bruce.
The coaching staff, scouts, and staff were key areas that New Manchester United would need to add next.
Of course, all of this required funding.
Ethan suddenly wished the World Cup would end quickly so the funds could be in place as soon as possible.
With money, everything becomes easier.
"By the way, Andy came to me earlier and asked if we should arrange some warm-up matches. What do you think?" Bruce suddenly remembered.
"Warm-up matches?" Ethan frowned.
"Yes, this would be the first game since New Manchester United was established," Bruce said cautiously.
Keane, who was standing nearby, thought for a moment and suggested, "Why not play against Manchester United? Ryan and I will go back and discuss it with the old man."
"Will he agree?" Bruce asked.
"I think he would. He had a big argument with the board before about Ethan setting up a new club. He even said that the formation of New Manchester United was forced by those bastards on the board. Besides, it would just be a friendly."
But as soon as Keane said that, Ethan immediately rejected it.
"No. If we are going to play Manchester United, I hope it will be in the Premier League, or in the FA Cup or the League Cup, not in a friendly, because I believe it will be a legendary match recorded in the history of Manchester United and New Manchester United. Besides, now is not the time for us to challenge Manchester United."
Keane and Giggs were both a little surprised. Ethan's attitude felt strange to them. Could it be that he held resentment toward Manchester United because he established New Manchester United?
But on second thought, Keane and Giggs could not help but understand that Ethan did not hate Manchester United, but hated those who had brought the smell of money into Old Trafford, so he stubbornly wanted to prove he was right in his own way.
It was the first time Keane and Giggs had agreed on someone wanting to beat United.
"Let's play Droylsden when their team gets back together for training," Ethan suddenly suggested.
Bruce and the other two were stunned, but soon understood Ethan's intention. He was using this to express gratitude to David Pace.
"Good man." Keane patted Ethan's shoulder hard. Obviously, from this moment on, Ethan's name had entered his list of friends.
The same was true for Giggs.
Bruce had no problem with the choice of friendly opponent, let alone Droylsden.
After finalizing the opponent for the first warm-up match, the next step was to finalize a few more warm-ups to prepare for the new season of the Northwest Division Two League, the Division Two Northwest Division Two Challenger Cup, and of course the FA Cup, which all English clubs can enter, which Ethan would never dream of winning within a few years.
"It seems there is no hope of meeting you this year, Steve," Keane shrugged and said regretfully.
Although New Manchester United had registered for the FA Cup, as a Premier League team, Manchester United would start directly from the third round. As a tenth-tier team, New Manchester United would have to start from the earliest preliminaries.
Even if New Manchester United were strong and could pass the preliminaries and four qualifying rounds, it would be almost impossible for them to overcome the first round with League Two and League One professional teams involved, let alone eliminate two strong teams in a row to reach the third round, and then be lucky enough to draw Manchester United.
"That may not be the case. Who knows what happens on the football pitch?" Ethan retorted with a smile.
"Ethan is right, not necessarily," Bruce also chimed in.
Bruce was now increasingly considering himself the team's head coach.
...
The sun was setting in the west, and the sunset dyed a large area of the sky red.
Keane and Giggs walked out of the Butcher's Arms Stadium and looked back to see Bruce still on the pitch, instructing New Manchester United's players on how to combine and how to pass, not missing even the smallest details.
"It seems he is planning to coach this team," Giggs said with a smile.
"Of course, otherwise he would not have called us here to help him teach these players a lesson. He will definitely be an excellent head coach." It was clear that Keane had great faith in Bruce.
"Why?" Giggs was surprised by Keane's certainty.
"You will understand later. This is no ordinary team. A group of fanatical fans, a strong and outstanding head coach, and a persistent, ambitious owner will make this a terrifying team."
"But it should be impossible to get promoted to the Premier League in at least ten years," Giggs sighed regretfully.
A trace of indignation flashed in Keane's eyes. He naturally understood what Giggs meant, which was that modern professional football was no longer just about football, but also about money.
The promotion of a club depends not only on sporting performance, but also on financial strength. Any football giant in the world is wealthy. Therefore, with the progress of professionalization, although there are still many poor teams that can suddenly rise and become dark horses, they are soon exposed. The reason is simple: players are poached and there is a shortage of funds.
This is still compared with those professional teams at a lower level. It is easy to imagine that for New Manchester United, which is at the bottom of the English football pyramid, getting promoted and entering the Premier League is undoubtedly harder than ascending to heaven.
"But from those wildly enthusiastic fans, as well as Ethan, Bruce and the others, I saw the pure Manchester United again. Ryan, do you not think Old Trafford is much quieter now?" Keane's words were full of sarcasm.
Ticket price increases have driven away real fans who love football, and have attracted more pseudo-fans who do not understand or even like football. They just come for a look around, or to meet political and business celebrities, while drinking red wine and eating steak. This is why Old Trafford is getting quieter and quieter.
Does football have to be so complicated? Can it not be simpler?
(To be continued.)
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