"Dad!"
As soon as Curtis returned to the dormitory, he called his father in London and told him what had just happened.
"Captain?" Davies was a little surprised. He had not expected the team's head coach to appoint Curtis as captain.
"Yes, Dad. You know, I never thought about being captain. I don't understand why Mr. Mourinho made such a decision. I'm worried I'll mess it up and let him down, Dad!"
Davies did not know how to handle the situation, so he tentatively asked, "What is your teammates' attitude?"
He had heard that some players in certain teams fought fiercely over the captaincy. If Curtis got caught in such a mess, it would not be good for his growth.
"I don't know. Some congratulated me, so they should be supportive, but some... I don't know!" Curtis was still young. No matter how mature he was, he would always be at a loss when encountering such things, and he was not the type to scheme.
"Oh, that's troublesome then!" Davies was also an honest man. He did not understand how to scheme either. "Why don't you personally ask Mr. Mourinho, or Mr. Yu? They should give you an answer!"
After listening, Curtis nodded. The first person he thought of was Ethan, whom he called "Boss," so he immediately made a call.
"Ah, Curtis, you've come at just the right time. Quick, find a few more people to help!" Ethan, on the other end of the phone, seemed to be in some trouble. When he picked up the phone, he laughed as if he had found help just when he needed it most. "At my place. Hurry!"
Curtis listened to the busy signal on the phone, wondering what was going on.
However, judging by Ethan's tone just now, there seemed to be some real trouble, so Curtis did not dare take it lightly. He immediately ran out of his room, just as Evra, Terry, Essien, Messi, and his other good friends living nearby were all there.
With just the single phrase, "Boss is in trouble," these kids immediately rushed out one after another.
After finally taking a bus to the neighbourhood where Ethan lived, they saw a truck parked in the distance, while Ethan, Walsh, and the others were busily moving things. It looked as if he was moving house.
"Ah, Curtis, Leo, you've come at just the right time. Help move things!" Ethan had rolled up his sleeves, and as soon as he saw the group of kids coming over, he happily called them all to help.
What Curtis and the others did not expect was that Mourinho and Cassell were also there, and they were all helping.
Now they had even more reason to lend a hand.
"Damn it, I originally hired a moving company, and we had agreed on a time, but they stood me up. They said they could only provide one truck temporarily and that we had to move the things ourselves. What the hell!" After moving the things, Ethan drove Curtis and the others to his new home, while Walsh, Mourinho, and the others drove their own cars behind them.
They had originally agreed to go and see Ethan's new home together, but who knew they would suddenly be called over as movers?
"It's okay, Curtis. I'll treat you all to a big meal later!" Ethan said with a grin.
The car drove out of the city and reached the suburbs, then soon turned onto a smooth narrow road. After driving for a while, they reached the foot of a hill and entered a grand and elegant castle-like villa.
"Wow, Boss, is this your new home?" Curtis looked at the magnificent castle villa in front of him with disbelief, his jaw almost dropping.
"Yes, Curtis. How is it? Not bad, right?" Ethan was also becoming increasingly satisfied with his new home.
"Hmm, of course. I've never seen such a grand villa. It must be very expensive, right?"
Ethan smiled and shook his head. "It is a bit expensive, but Curtis, you shouldn't be envious. When you achieve success in the future, when our team enters the Premier League and wins the title, and you are selected for the England national team, then you will also be able to afford such a villa. All of you will!"
The last sentence was clearly addressed to the other kids who were helping out.
From the outside, the castle villa was grand, and the interior decoration was also antique and beautiful. Even Mourinho and Cassell were shocked, cursing Ethan for spending so much money to buy such a house. It was far too extravagant.
With more hands, things naturally got done faster.
After everything was moved, Ethan had the servants bring out some food and drinks to entertain everyone in the pavilion beside the front courtyard of the castle villa. From this pavilion, looking into the distance, there was another villa nearby that was being renovated.
"That's Beckham's new home, also a castle villa. It's currently undergoing renovation," Ethan introduced with a smile.
Upon hearing that Ethan had become neighbours with Beckham, the young players immediately looked forward to it greatly. Ethan, of course, knew what they were thinking and immediately decided that after the season ended, he would find an opportunity to hold a party at his new home, inviting not only the Beckhams but also several Manchester United stars, as well as the New Manchester United players and coaching staff, for a gathering.
This suggestion immediately made the young players present cheer with excitement.
For these young players, who were still at the age of idolizing stars, being able to gather with world-class players like Beckham, Roy Keane, and Giggs was an incredibly glorious thing.
"What's wrong, Curtis? You seem a bit down." Ethan noticed that Curtis seemed a little unhappy.
Curtis looked at Mourinho, then back at Ethan, hesitating and unsure what to say.
"Is it about the captaincy?" Mourinho asked with a smile.
Cassell, beside him, also started to laugh.
Ethan, on the other hand, was a little surprised. "Did you really appoint Curtis as captain?"
This immediately made it clear that Ethan had not known.
Mourinho smiled and nodded. "Originally, I was also worried about whether it was suitable. I personally feel that John is also a very suitable candidate, but then I realized that John is very capable. He will be the backbone of the team's defence, but in terms of leadership ability, he is not as good as Curtis."
As he spoke, Mourinho came between Terry and Curtis, placing his hands on their shoulders, clearly holding both in high regard.
"Curtis's defensive ability is not as good as John's, but in matches, John lacks the vitality and passion that Curtis has. Moreover, Curtis is very hardworking and diligent. He can inspire the teammates around him. He frequently directs teammates to mark and organize the defence, which is something John currently lacks."
Mourinho's words made Terry feel a little ashamed. In fact, in training and privately, Mourinho had reminded Terry many times, hoping that he could better take on the responsibility of being the defensive core and direct his teammates, but for some reason, next to Curtis, Terry always could not do it.
Because Curtis always did it before Terry even thought of doing it!
"John and Curtis each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and your cooperation is very good. I think you should learn from each other's strengths, which will be of great help to your future. And Curtis serving as captain is only temporary. If John makes significant progress next time, I will not hesitate to give the captain's armband to him!"
"What about me?" Essien shouted from the side.
This immediately made everyone laugh.
"You too, Michael. You're not steady enough, and you make too many pointless runs. You should learn from Daniele in this regard. As for Daniele, your defending isn't as ruthless as Michael's, and your body is a bit thin. You need to improve your strength in physical confrontations, while also making use of your passing ability."
Mourinho's words hit the nail on the head for each of them, instantly making them all convinced and humbly accepting his criticism. Terry, regarding his good friend Curtis becoming captain, had no objection whatsoever. He repeatedly expressed his full support for Curtis. At the same time, he also stated that he would strive to take the captain's armband from Curtis with even better performances.
As for Evra, Mourinho's requirement for him was to work hard to improve his defensive ability. His attacking progress was significant, especially his coordination with the front-line players when moving forward, but the key was that his defending always made people uneasy. This was somewhat similar to Bosingwa, but Bosingwa's defensive ability had greatly improved this season.
In fact, Mourinho emphasized system and teamwork in the team's defence, so as long as they understood this system better and cooperated better with their teammates, even if their individual defensive ability was not strong, it would not matter too much.
Evra was very embarrassed after being personally critiqued by Mourinho. He was considered one of the most senior players in the team, but now he was playing less and less. However, he was still young and could accept a substitute role. He promised Mourinho that he would definitely improve his defensive level.
Everyone knew that Mourinho selected the starting lineup based on form. As long as they worked hard enough in training and performed at a sufficient level, they could start. Therefore, although these young players all had their own shortcomings, Mourinho still had great confidence in them.
Every time he saw these players, plus Messi, Michael Johnson, and the others from the youth team, Mourinho could not help but think of Ferguson's Class of '92. He felt that when Ferguson saw Beckham and the others back then, he must have felt the same way he did now.
However, Mourinho was luckier than Ferguson. He had met Ethan. Ethan's investment in the team, his support for the head coach, and his care for the players were all things that Manchester United's Edwards had lacked back then.
And Mourinho knew in his heart how important these things were for a team.
If he were given a chance to choose one indispensable person at New Manchester United, Mourinho would not hesitate to choose Ethan.
This was the first time the proud Mourinho had been convinced by someone. Although this person's understanding of football might not be as profound as his, he was influencing Mourinho in his own way, and at the same time, influencing the team.
He was the most indispensable person at New Manchester United!
(To be continued.)