[Beckenham. Thursday 9 August 2018.]
Achraf Hakimi came back on Wednesday morning and 3 people noticed.
He walked into that building at 8 o'clock with a bag on his shoulder and a tan and 10 days of doing nothing behind him.
A Croatian was on the front of every newspaper on the reception table, and a television burned yellow above it with a countdown clock in the corner. The window was shutting in 33 hours, and the best young full back in Europe stood in a corridor for about 40 seconds waiting for somebody to tell him where to go.
Rebecca got to him first because Rebecca always gets to him first.
I got him at 20 past 8.
"Gaffer."
"Achraf."
"I have done nothing for 10 days."
"I know. I told you to."
"I have done nothing for 10 days and I have watched 4 matches on a television and my brother has asked me 60 times why I am at home." He put the bag down. "I want to know if the 15th is still the 15th."
"The 15th is still the 15th."
"45 minutes."
