"Those reporters really will write anything. Sometimes I'd love to open their heads and see whether there's anything inside."
Ethan smiled bitterly as he pointed at a newspaper filled with extravagant praise for the Red Rebels.
Mourinho and Walsh sat opposite him, looking equally helpless.
Even Manchester United could not control the English press, let alone New Manchester United. At that very moment, the newspapers were enthusiastically feeding the dispute between Ferguson and Magnier, and there was little anyone at Old Trafford could do about it.
"How can a team that reaches the last sixteen of the UEFA Cup possibly be weak?" Ethan said, picking up another newspaper. "Especially from our perspective."
This one contained columns written by Martin Tyler and Scarlett Elland.
Compared with many of the more sensational reports, their analysis was considerably more measured.
Both were well-known supporters of the Red Rebels, but they also recognised the problems facing the team.
The recent run of fixtures across several competitions had pushed the players close to their physical limits.
New Manchester United had been eliminated from the League Cup, and their next UEFA Cup fixtures would not arrive until late February, but January would still bring two rounds of the FA Cup alongside the relentless winter league schedule.
For a young squad, it would be a serious test.
Physical fatigue was only part of the problem.
Mental resilience and dressing-room unity would become just as important during such a demanding period.
That was particularly true now that Portsmouth and Leicester were closing the gap in League One.
The Red Rebels remained unbeaten in the league, but their early-season momentum had clearly faded.
Part of that was physical exhaustion.
Another factor was psychological.
The excitement of arriving in a new division and proving themselves against unfamiliar opponents was beginning to wear off.
It was a problem that affected many surprise packages.
Every season, certain clubs exploded out of the blocks and shocked everyone during the first half of the campaign.
Then winter arrived.
The novelty disappeared, pressure increased, and results began to deteriorate.
By the second half of the season, some of those early dark horses had completely fallen away.
Whether New Manchester United could avoid the same fate would be crucial.
After reading the reports, Ethan immediately thought about what he had been seeing at Newton Heath.
The players were still working hard.
But compared with the beginning of the season, the intensity and excitement in training had undeniably dropped.
Recently, the Red Rebels had stumbled in the league.
One victory and two draws from their previous three matches had allowed Portsmouth and Leicester to close in.
Only two points now separated the top three.
One bad result could completely change the table.
"The team has definitely run into some problems," Mourinho admitted.
"But I believe the players can adjust.
"We had the same problem last season when we were competing on several fronts, and we came through it."
Ethan nodded.
But he also knew that adjustment alone was not always enough.
Sometimes players needed something more tangible.
"José, I have an idea."
Mourinho looked at him.
"I'm listening."
"The UEFA Cup prize money isn't enormous, but for us it's still significant.
"If we secure promotion this season, I want all the prize money we earn from the UEFA Cup to become a squad bonus.
"And if the players go deep in the FA Cup, we'll do the same with that competition.
"The normal promotion bonus will remain completely separate."
Mourinho looked surprised for a moment.
Then he understood.
Professional football was still a profession.
Players had ambitions, pride, and loyalty, but financial rewards mattered as well.
If Ethan wanted them to push harder through exhaustion, linking bonuses directly to performance was a powerful incentive.
Based on the previous season's figures, winning the UEFA Cup could generate roughly £7 million in prize money and related distributions.
The FA had also increased the FA Cup winner's prize money to approximately £2 million in an effort to encourage stronger participation.
Once television revenue and other distributions were included, a successful FA Cup run could be worth closer to £5 million.
Naturally, New Manchester United were nowhere near discussing trophies yet.
But the farther they progressed, the larger the financial reward would become.
And now the players would know that a substantial portion of that money was effectively theirs to win.
If the Red Rebels somehow went all the way in one or both competitions, the squad could potentially divide bonuses worth eight or nine million pounds.
For League One footballers, that was extraordinary money.
Some first-team regulars could earn hundreds of thousands of pounds in bonuses alone.
That was enough to motivate almost anyone.
There was, however, one condition.
Promotion came first.
To Ethan, reaching the Premier League was more important than anything else.
The UEFA Cup and FA Cup were prestigious.
Promotion was transformative.
Once New Manchester United reached the Premier League, even finishing near the bottom would bring enormous broadcasting revenue, before sponsorship, ticket sales, and commercial income were even considered.
Compared with that, UEFA Cup and FA Cup prize money was relatively minor.
Ethan had already established a generous promotion bonus.
The club's sponsorship agreements also contained additional payments triggered by promotion.
Everything was structured around reaching the Premier League.
But that did not mean he was willing to abandon the cups.
If giving the players all the prize money encouraged them to go farther, why not?
The club would still benefit from ticket income, sponsorship exposure, television money, and commercial growth.
More importantly, every successful European or FA Cup run strengthened New Manchester United's reputation.
That kind of prestige could not easily be measured in pounds.
But its value was enormous.
That was why Ethan was comfortable making the offer.
"Fine," Mourinho said. "I'll tell the players.
"But there's another issue I want resolved immediately."
There was a cold edge in his eyes.
"Bosingwa?" Ethan guessed.
Mourinho nodded.
In Ethan's previous life, Bosingwa had developed into an excellent full-back.
Here, things had gone differently.
Despite two years under Mourinho, his development had been disappointing.
More importantly, Kolo Touré had improved faster and adapted far better to the team.
By now, Bosingwa had fallen so far behind that Mourinho rarely trusted him with meaningful minutes.
The defender had responded by repeatedly speaking to the press.
He insisted that he deserved a more important role and suggested that he would rather leave if opportunities did not improve.
The comments had begun affecting the atmosphere around the squad.
"I don't want him remaining here and damaging the unity of the dressing room," Mourinho said bluntly.
Ethan had once expected a great deal from Bosingwa.
But expectations meant little compared with reality.
The player had become a source of unnecessary tension.
Besides, New Manchester United were hardly short of options for the future.
Daniel Alves was still developing in Brazil.
Ethan had also used São Paulo's contacts to open negotiations with Cruzeiro and secured Maicon's rights for a relatively modest fee.
For the moment, Maicon would remain on loan at Cruzeiro.
Ethan's plan was to send him to Benfica the following season so he could gain experience in European football.
He was still young.
There was no reason to rush him.
With Alves and Maicon already in the club's long-term plans, Ethan had little concern about losing Bosingwa.
"All right, José.
"I'll have Mark contact interested clubs.
"Do you want anyone brought in as a replacement?"
Mourinho shook his head immediately.
"Once Bosingwa leaves, I want our winter transfer business finished."
"No right-back?"
"No.
"We have Lahm.
"Essien can play there if necessary.
"We don't need another player.
"Bringing someone in simply because a squad place has opened could disrupt the balance we already have."
Ethan nodded.
Mourinho clearly had his own plans.
Just as he was already preparing to introduce Messi and Ishmael gradually into the first-team environment the following season, he preferred developing solutions from within whenever possible.
Ethan had briefly considered signing nineteen-year-old Bacary Sagna from Auxerre.
But if Mourinho did not want another right-back, there was no point forcing the issue.
Alves could arrive in the summer anyway.
Perhaps it was partly a habit carried over from football management games in his previous life, but Ethan had never liked January transfers unless they were absolutely necessary.
Winter signings carried too many risks.
The player had to adapt immediately.
The squad dynamic could be disturbed.
And buying halfway through the season often meant paying inflated prices.
If a club had planned properly during the summer, there should rarely be any need for major January business.
New Manchester United were a perfect example.
Evra and Kolo were established starters.
Lahm could play on either side.
Those three already created healthy competition across both full-back positions.
Essien could also cover at right-back in an emergency.
Why bring in another player and reduce Lahm's opportunities?
Sometimes the best transfer was no transfer at all.
...
When Mourinho announced Ethan's bonus scheme to the first team, the effect was immediate.
Training intensity rose noticeably.
Several million pounds in potential bonuses meant a great deal to players who had never previously competed at this level.
Many members of the New Manchester United squad had arrived from obscurity.
Some had played in the lower divisions.
Others had failed to receive opportunities at larger clubs.
For most of them, reaching the last sixteen of the UEFA Cup was already the biggest achievement of their careers.
Now Ethan had directly linked further success to significant financial rewards.
Their competitive ambition and personal interests suddenly pointed in exactly the same direction.
There was no shortage of motivation.
Bosingwa's departure was also resolved quickly.
Although he had struggled for minutes with the Red Rebels, he still retained a strong reputation in Portugal.
He was young, athletic, and had enough potential to attract serious interest.
Through Jorge Mendes, a deal was arranged with Porto.
The transfer fee was £2 million.
Because England had now aligned its transfer regulations with the rest of Europe, the move could not formally be registered until the winter window opened on 1 January.
Bosingwa, however, had already left Manchester and returned to Portugal.
Ethan then made the club's position on January business perfectly clear.
New Manchester United's transfer window was closed.
Any club hoping to sign one of the Red Rebels' players would be wasting its time.
He also insisted that the dressing-room atmosphere remained excellent and that everyone at Newton Heath was confident of surviving the brutal winter schedule.
Some journalists remained sceptical.
The players answered them on the pitch.
At home against relegation-threatened Bradford, New Manchester United produced their most aggressive performance in weeks.
Five goals.
None conceded.
5-0.
The recent dip in form was swept aside in a single afternoon.
More importantly, the Red Rebels once again looked hungry.
(To be continued.)