Star-studded training match

As Newton Heath's training ground is still being set up, and the players at Drog Easton have gone on vacation, David Pace temporarily lent the Butcher's Knife Stadium to New Manchester United for training.

They are all a group of players who have just come together, and it is already mid-June. It is naturally impossible to let them go on vacation.

The taxi turned into Marquette Street, and they heard a cheer from the stadium in the distance.

"A lot of fans come to see the team training?" Levi asked Jim, who was driving beside him.

Jim nodded. "Of course, this is also a way to support the team, but from what I hear, there seem to be more people coming today. Maybe they're here to see Steve?"

Since Jim has now become the common driver for the New Manchester United club, he is familiar with several people on the team, especially Steve Bruce, the legendary central defender.

The taxi stopped in the parking lot outside the stadium. Not only did Levi, Messi, and his father get out, but even Jim followed.

"Hey, Jim, don't you need to go to work?" Levi asked, puzzled.

"It's okay, I'm waiting for a familiar customer on Marquette Street. Yes, a very familiar customer. If they can't wait, let them find someone else!" Jim obviously knew how to lie and make excuses.

Getting out of the car, locking the door, he came to the stunned Levi, laughing. "They're so addictive, it must be very intense, why shouldn't I go and see, right?"

With that, Levi and Jorge couldn't help smiling. This guy is something else...

However, when Levi passed the security room of the stadium, he found that the dedicated security guard had actually left his post, which made him a little suspicious. He accelerated his pace and came to the training ground.

"Oh my God, look, who is that?" Jim widened his eyes and looked at the football field with an expression of disbelief.

"And there, look, isn't that Roy Keane in the wound? How did he and Giggs come here?"

Levi certainly saw it.

That's right, it's Ryan Giggs, not his younger brother Rodriguez Giggs, and the one Jim is pointing at is now Manchester United's current captain Roy Keane.

Yeah, why did the two superstars come to their training?

"Ryan Giggs ... Roy Keane ..." Messi also stared at the two people running on the field. The two well-known names he once envied now appeared alive in front of him.

"Hey, Carl, go up a bit, don't relax, linger on that bastard!" Although it was only a training match, the atmosphere of the stadium was very intense, especially with Steve Bruce, the central defender, constantly pointing at Karl Markinson, who stood in front of him and served as the main defensive midfielder.

"Stay tight, Carl, don't rush in easily. Remember, you're a defensive midfielder, a wall in front of the backline. Have you ever seen a wall that moves out of place?"

Despite Steve Bruce's warnings, Karl Markinson, facing Giggs alone, was still fooled by Giggs' fake moves, easily bypassed, and then Giggs took a long shot that pierced the goal.

"Nice! Giggs!" Cheers erupted from the stands.

Although it was only an internal training match, the stands were already full of fans. Whether they had come by word of mouth or visited regularly, the small Butcher's Knife Stadium was packed.

"Oh my God, I'm lucky. I can't stay here, I must hurry up to the stands to find a good spot!" Jim exclaimed, leaving Levi.

Since it was a training match, when Giggs scored the goal, the game paused briefly, and Bruce called Karl Markinson, who was not far ahead.

"Hey, Carl, you're tall and big. You can't match him for speed, you're not his opponent at all, you know? Stay stable, your legs are longer than his, and your hands are stronger. Just keep your ground, don't move rashly, and don't get tricked easily. If all else fails, be tough. Pull him down if you have to!"

Bruce sounded like a gang leader encouraging his followers to do dirty work, loudly instructing with exaggerated movements.

"Hey, Steve, you can't do that! I'm just recovering, Ryan is on vacation and isn't fully fit. If you hurt us again, the old man will come after you!" Roy Keane protested from the sidelines.

But everyone could tell they were joking.

"Don't worry about him, Carl, just be tougher, and don't be afraid!" Bruce ignored Keane's protests and patted Carl Markinson on the back, signaling him to return to his position.

Levi stood on the sidelines and noticed Curtis Davis partnering with Steve Bruce as the central defender, while Evra was playing as the left winger, and Darren Leon as the right winger. The forwards were Jonathan Matten and Carl Markinson.

Keane and Ryan Giggs led a team with Rodriguez Giggs as the forward, Stephen Smith partnered with Keane in midfield, and Kevin Evan played as the central defender.

Perhaps because he was initially recovering from a serious injury, Keane didn't push too far forward. Instead, he stayed back, handling the ball. The front was left entirely to the Giggs brothers.

After being scored against, Bruce controlled the ball from the back, passing it between the midfield and the defense, and it reached Evra's feet.

Stephen Smith pressed tightly, trying to dispossess Evra, who then knocked the ball back to Markinson and suddenly moved forward.

Markinson passed the ball back, and a beautiful one-two was about to be completed, but Keane suddenly intervened, a fierce slide tackle, taking the ball before Evra.

"Boy, speed is good, but speed alone isn't enough. Your intention was too obvious. If you had passed directly, you could have created a great scoring chance." Keane stood up from the ground, patting Evra on the shoulder.

Returning to his position, Keane stared sternly at the 25-year-old midfielder as he passed by Smith. "As Steve said, the defensive midfielder is crucial for the team. You can't be indecisive. Either go all the way in or stay put. You hesitated too much!"

Smith was taken aback by Keane's words but didn't dare to retort. He meekly agreed, unsure of how much he could take in.

Levi looked at the field for a while and finally saw the bigger picture: the two Manchester United stars had come to assist in coaching.

"You're back!" Walsh, who was intently watching the stadium, looked up as Levi approached.

Levi introduced Jorge and his son to Walsh, then pointed to Curtis Davis on the field. "Why is this kid playing?"

"The central defenders are lacking, so Bruce let him play. It's just a training match, it's fine!" Walsh said with a smile.

Levi nodded, observing the field. He saw that Bruce often used dead ball situations to communicate with Curtis, giving him tips on defensive skills and positioning, clearly mentoring him on how to become an excellent central defender.

Levi suddenly thought that if Curtis's parents agreed to let Curtis stay in Manchester and Bruce became the head coach of New Manchester United, the kid might achieve even greater glory under Bruce's training than he did in the future.

Noticing Levi's expression while looking at Curtis, Walsh smiled. "Your vision is good. Bruce also praises this boy. His physical fitness is excellent, he's fast, and his actions are quick and decisive. His only shortcomings are his defensive awareness and positioning, which Bruce says he can work on. He believes Curtis has the potential to become one of the best defenders in England, if not Europe."

"So, do you agree with me about setting up a youth team?" Levi asked with a smile.

Walsh didn't speak, but patted Levi's shoulder, a silent agreement.

Messi, on the side, had been staring at the players on the field, especially Giggs. It was clear he admired Giggs' skills, as they were both similar types of players.

"How is it? Seeing Giggs' performance in person, isn't it impressive?" Levi asked with a smile.

"Yeah, it's more real than watching on TV. He's too strong. His fake moves are even faster!" Messi was in awe, his English hesitant but understandable.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to see these big names as soon as I arrived in Manchester!" Jorge was also a little surprised.

Levi looked at Messi with hope. "I don't think you should just take Giggs as your goal. You should aim to surpass him. Believe me, Messi, you will be better than Giggs. You'll be a genius star!"

Walsh, hearing Levi's words, was surprised. Knowing Levi's loyalty to Manchester United, Walsh understood that Levi wouldn't make such claims lightly. The only explanation was that the unassuming little boy in front of them had even more football talent than Giggs.

New Manchester United had selected 17 players from the trial, plus Evra, found by Levi, as well as Bruce, Keane, Ryan Giggs, and Curtis, forming two full teams for competition.

Since they were just amateur teams in a training match, even when 13-year-old Curtis played, Keane and the others felt it was fun and unproblematic.

Curtis served as the central defender, with Bruce intentionally or unintentionally giving him the first defensive assignments, or letting him go for tackles, assisting him from behind, and occasionally advising him on his actions and timing.

As the saying goes, having an experienced mentor is invaluable, and Levi had to admit that an excellent veteran's careful guidance greatly accelerated a new player's progress.

Evra also performed admirably, his best showing his physical ability, allowing him to easily run back and forth on the left side of the field.

"It seems that the future star is still very raw now, but if the current Evra