Chapter 4

The following six months for Akin were a whirlwind; he trained with the training being twice a week, both technical and tactical.

He continued to use his usual routine on top of the practice schedule given to him by the coaches in the academy.

The tactical training was handled by the director of the academy, Coach O'Sullivan.

He trained them how to play out from the back, retain the ball, game management, counter-attacking, attack the centre, attack broad areas, personal defence, group defence, possession and prediction.

Meanwhile, Brian was in charge of technical development, developing their passing, running off the ball, running with the ball, 1v1 situations, shooting and ball possession.

Now he is in the park; he is working on his dribbling skill along with a boy who seems to be the same age, half a head shorter than Akin, with dirty blonde hair, and holding a stopwatch as he timed Akin's dribbling exercise, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Korr mate, you are getting even faster; this is unreal!"

Akin let out an arrogant laugh as he turned to the shorter boy; running over to check the timer, he slung his arm over the boy's shoulder.

"Course I am, don't you know by now, mate? I'm a genius!"

William "Billy" Halstead can be considered Akin's best friend, and the two bonded over their love of football. Billy himself was both awed and jealous of the level of apparent talent and his diligence.

In fact, for a long time,e Akin was not sure about making friends.

After all, he may have been a child physically, but he had the mental age of a man in his mid 30's.

However, Billy soon won him over when he first met him while training in the Bisterne Avenue Park Area.

Billy was an intelligent child with a great passion for football; his knowledge of the game and his understanding of the rules allowed Akin to truly enjoy talking about football; the only regret for both boys is that Billy is unable to play football.

Billy had Osteogenesis Imperfecta, otherwise known as "Brittle bones disease".

He was born with soft bones and could easily fracture and break without doing anything; his parents were especially cautious in not allowing him to do any activities.

Because of this, he could not join in, but he often watched Akin train acting as a part observer and motivator.

Billy rolled his eyes at the arrogant exclamation of the taller boy.

"Alright, ger' off me, you oaf, unless you want my mum to have a go at you again."

Hearing this caused Akin to release the shorter boy.

His eyes turned to see Billy's mother, Amanda "Mandy" Halstead watching the interaction anxiously and biting her lip.

They were seeing her expression caused both boys to smile whirly at each other.

"Sorry, Aunt Mandy!"

Hearing Akin's exclamation caused the woman's face to lighten as she nodded at them both.

Billy turned his attention to his best friend, his expression slightly embarrassed as he changed the subject.

"Right, you haven't said when is your next U15 game?"

Akin shrugged and then began to juggle the ball, alternating feet with ease as he added in tricks before trapping it down to respond.

"We have a game against U15 Chelsea, but I'm not sure if they will play me, I haven't played a single game yet."

This depressed Akin in training; whether it was tactical or technical, he often had an outstanding performance, but in the six months he has been at Hale's end, he has often been a substitute.

Billy looked at the boy with understanding because he often has such feelings, so he comforted Akin.

"Hey mate, don't let it get to you; they are just probably worried about you; after all, many of the other team's players are bigger and much rougher; if you get injured, it might cause problems down the line."

Hearing this, Akin nodded in understanding; after all, he understood why Coach Brady was not willing to let him start. If he performed too well, he could draw the opposition's anger.

He knows how an injury can affect his development; he also knows that he has a pretty big chance of being targeted by the older boys.

He also thinks it may be more than just that; he knows his mind best.

Since joining the Academy, although he performs the best, whether technical or tactical, in practice games, he has begun to avoid physical confrontation, the shadow of the career-ending injury in his past life haunting him.

He thinks that Liam may have spotted his critical weakness, and if that's true, then Akin will have to work twice as hard if he ever wants to enter the next game.

Otherwise, his goal of becoming crowned the new king of the gunners will die fast.

After all, no team will ever put their trust in a player that is afraid of injury.

Thinking about this, he went home and spoke to his mother about his concerns.

"I want to be the best player I can be, but how can I do that if I am too scared to play physically in a physical game?"

Alicia looked at him thoughtfully before sighing; she was a bit dissatisfied that she was only learning about this problem after he had been training for months, so she admonished him.

"If you were having such a problem, why did you not come to me earlier? there are only five more games this season, and your next game is in a week."

Akin bowed his head in regret but perked up when she continued.

"I will book an appointment with a friend of mine; she is a psychologist, so she might be able to help you."

Happy that his mother could think of this step, Akin embraced her waist.

"I knew it! you're the best, ma!"

Alicia fondly tapped the back of his head, her face half-teasing, half-serious.

"You still know this, yet you still dared to hide things from me?"

Her sharp observation caused Akin to flush, unable to deny her statement. Still, Alicia put her hands on his shoulder while tipping his chin up so he met her eyes, which shined with worry.

"Baby, don't ever think that you can not come to me if you are struggling, I may not understand why you are so obsessed with this game, but I watched you from 4. You have put in more work than anybody; I will not let that be in vain."

Akin nodded, his eyes wet as he had a thought.

'No matter what world it is, my mother still loves me most.'