Although Benfica failed to poach Mourinho, he agreed to introduce Ethan to Azevedo the next day. That made the Benfica chairman happy, because he had heard of Ethan's reputation, not only because Ethan had rebelled against Manchester United and founded the Red Rebels, but also because of the fame, status, and wealth he had built in the United States.
The football world never rejected wealthy people.
Before leaving, Paramés waited until Azevedo had walked a few steps ahead and was out of sight, then pulled Mourinho aside, clearly regretting his good friend's missed opportunity.
He truly felt that Mourinho's talent was being wasted at New Manchester United, and that he deserved a broader stage where he could fully display his abilities.
But Mourinho was unmoved. He simply clasped Paramés' hand gratefully and said, "Come to Manchester another day, and I'll treat you to dinner, my good brother!"
After hearing that, what else could Paramés say?
He left, shaking his head and sighing.
Only Mourinho and Lourenço remained, the latter smiling.
"Is something funny, Luís?" Mourinho asked in confusion.
Lourenço shook his head. "No, nothing funny. I just think you've changed a lot, José!"
Mourinho's smile faded when he heard that. He nodded and said, "Indeed, Luís. Do you know? During my time as head coach of New Manchester United, I feel like I've truly changed a great deal. I've learned many things, experienced many things, and understood many things."
As someone who knew Mourinho well, Lourenço naturally saw that his good friend had something he wanted to say.
"Before, the first thought I had every morning was, 'Damn it, I'm still only an assistant coach. When the hell will I succeed?'"
Mourinho recalled the past and found it amusing himself.
"Then I would begin another busy day. I worked very hard to do my job well, and I paid close attention to learning the things I thought I needed to learn.
"But after coming to New Manchester United, I realized that it was far from enough. I had only learned things on the surface. There were deeper things I still couldn't learn, and without those, I would never become a famous manager like Ferguson!"
Lourenço was somewhat surprised by Mourinho's transformation.
He suddenly thought of someone, a person Mourinho often mentioned casually but with great respect whenever they spoke on the phone.
"Did Ethan make you understand these things?"
Mourinho thought for a moment, then nodded.
"He inspired me. After that, I figured it out myself!"
"Then he must be a very interesting person."
"Yes, he is. Although his knowledge of football isn't profound, and he only has a surface-level understanding of tactical systems, and although I think his attitude toward players is too friendly, I have to admit that he is a very approachable and almost magical person.
"At this club, I even suspect he is the only truly indispensable person."
"More important than you?" Lourenço was somewhat surprised.
"Of course, Luís. Sometimes I feel as though I'm merely the pair of hands he uses to manage the team.
"Even without me, his team could still keep winning, and his players would still fight hard.
"But once he is gone, I really don't know what this club would become."
Lourenço was surprised after hearing that.
"That doesn't sound like you, José!"
In the past, Mourinho's personality had always seemed to be, "God is first, and I am second." The team had to be run entirely by him, and no one could interfere.
But now, he could tolerate Ethan's influence standing above his own, which truly surprised Lourenço.
"You don't understand, Luís. He has never interfered with my work. On the contrary, he has given me the greatest freedom, and during my lowest moments, he helped me a great deal.
"He helped me climb out of the mud, and I'm very grateful to him.
"At the same time, I am now very willing, wholeheartedly willing, to stay and coach New Manchester United.
"I swear, it is not because of gratitude, nor because of the contract."
"Then why?" Lourenço suddenly felt that Mourinho had truly changed.
The once arrogant man seemed to have gained a new kind of warmth, almost like the male lead in a romantic drama, even though he still looked cold and aloof on the surface.
"To put it simply, whenever I step onto the training ground, whenever I see the youth team training, whenever I see the club moving forward step by step, I feel a sense of satisfaction and expectation rising in my heart.
"I believe that when Ferguson first arrived at Manchester United, when he saw players like Beckham, Giggs, and the Class of '92, he must have felt the same way I do now.
"And he succeeded. He became one of the most successful managers in English football history.
"I believe I will succeed too. Absolutely!"
Lourenço did not know what to say.
He realized that Mourinho had always been a very rational person, and he rarely became emotional like this.
But he could not say Mourinho was wrong, because without being in his position, it was hard to understand what he was thinking.
The only thing Lourenço was certain of was that Mourinho could not be poached.
He was mad.
He had been infected by the fanaticism of the Red Rebels, and now he had gone mad himself.
...
After receiving Scarlett's call that night, Ethan did not call Mourinho, because he knew that making that call would imply suspicion. Therefore, he wisely chose to remain silent.
The next morning, he arrived at the Newton Heath training ground as early as usual, but he was surprised to find that Mourinho had arrived even earlier. That made him a little worried.
A year ago, Bruce had also arrived at the Newton Heath training ground early on a morning like this, and in roughly the same place, he had told Ethan that he would not be renewing his contract with the club in six months and hoped Ethan could find a successor as soon as possible.
Could what happened a year ago be about to repeat itself?
Ethan felt uneasy, but he still braced himself and walked over.
He pretended not to know about what had happened the previous night and greeted Mourinho. Then the two stood beside the training pitch, looking at the muddy field.
Ethan brought up the club's idea of improving the training facilities after the season, and Mourinho agreed.
In addition, the two discussed many other matters. Ethan mentioned the gains from his trip to South America and Africa, spoke about John Obi Mikel, who had already joined the club's academy, and also mentioned Senna and the others in São Paulo.
However, neither of them mentioned replacements for Distin and Steinsson, nor did they mention Mourinho's meeting with Azevedo the night before.
Mourinho checked the time. It was almost time for training.
The coaching staff had already begun setting up equipment and markers on the training pitch, while the kit men were preparing training gear for the players.
The entire club was beginning to get busy.
"Boss, are you free this afternoon?" Mourinho suddenly asked.
Ethan secretly took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yes, I am. Is something wrong, José?"
Mourinho smiled.
"Last night, the chairman of Benfica invited me to meet him in Manchester. I originally thought it was just a good friend of mine who works at Benfica, so I went. Who knew that Mr. Azevedo clearly wanted me to coach Benfica?"
Ethan remained silent and simply listened quietly.
Mourinho looked at Ethan, expecting him to be surprised, but Ethan showed no surprise at all. Instead, Mourinho himself was surprised.
"Did you already know?"
"Yes, José. A friend happened to see you at the restaurant and called to tell me."
"Then you didn't call to ask me?" Mourinho asked, somewhat puzzled.
Ethan smiled.
"I knew you would tell me, no matter what decision you made. And before you told me, José, I absolutely trusted you. That's why I didn't call, because I knew doing so would mean I didn't trust you!"
Mourinho was suddenly moved.
For Ethan to say such words showed just how much trust and support he had placed in him. Fortunately, he had not disappointed Ethan's expectations. Otherwise, he would have felt guilty.
"So, do you want to know my answer?" Mourinho said with a smile, not easily revealing his inner emotions.
Ethan nodded. He felt that things might not be so bad.
"I declined Mr. Azevedo's invitation. I will stay at New Manchester United. However, Mr. Azevedo wants to meet you, so he hopes I can act as an intermediary and arrange for you to have a meal with him."
Ethan deliberately frowned, looking troubled.
That immediately made Mourinho panic. Had he said something wrong?
Unexpectedly, Ethan suddenly burst out laughing.
"Of course, no problem, José. You decide the time and place. I also want to meet Mr. Azevedo. He is a famous figure in Portuguese football. Who knows, maybe one day New Manchester United can even cooperate with Benfica!"
In football, knowing more people certainly brought more benefits. At the very least, it proved that one had good connections. Conversely, making enemies everywhere was not good for the club's recruitment.
After settling this matter, Mourinho and Ethan discussed the transfers of Distin and Steinsson again.
Mourinho felt that since the players wanted to leave, there was no point forcing them to stay. It would be better to simply let them go.
Since Gareth Turner and Hangeland had recently suffered minor injuries in training and might not be able to make the match against Brighton, Mourinho said he would have Abidal and Terry play as center-backs, restore Evra to the starting lineup, and promote Curtis Davies from the reserves to the first team as a backup center-back.
After hearing Mourinho's words, Ethan knew that he would definitely find a way to solve the issue, so he did not press further.
But whether it was Newcastle or Birmingham, if they wanted to take players from New Manchester United, they would at least have to leave behind a substantial amount of money.
Ethan wanted everyone to know that New Manchester United might not be able to keep every player, but any club that wanted to take New Manchester United's players would have to be prepared to pay a heavy price.
However, despite Mourinho's careful calculations, he still miscalculated.
The day before the match against Brighton, Abidal suddenly twisted his ankle in training. That immediately plunged New Manchester United, who had originally had enough cover at center-back, into a defensive crisis.
Mourinho had no choice but to boldly use Curtis in training.
(To be continued.)