Before Ethan left England, he had already called Curtis's parents to let them know their son was doing well in Manchester. While Ethan was away, Curtis's parents also phoned many times, asking Curtis to return to London as soon as possible.
But Curtis had no intention of going back, so he stayed.
More than half a month passed, and Curtis's father finally found time in his busy schedule to rush to Manchester.
As a mixed-race child, Curtis's father is an African immigrant and his mother is British. He works at a logistics company and is very busy, while she is a housewife, like an ordinary low-income family in the UK.
For convenience, Ethan arranged the meeting at a restaurant on the outskirts of Faulkner Street.
The four sat facing each other, with Curtis's parents side by side opposite them, both pairs of eyes fixed on Curtis from beginning to end. Curtis, like a child who had done something wrong, lowered his head and did not dare look up.
Everyone was silent, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Davies withdrew his gaze, turned to Ethan, nodded gratefully, and said, "Thank you very much, Mr. Yu. He must have caused you a lot of trouble during this period. Please forgive our negligence."
"Not at all. He likes playing football, so he basically does not go out. He just stays at the training ground."
After hearing this, Davies looked deeply at Curtis and sighed. "It is all my fault. I am busy with work on weekdays. Otherwise I should have rushed over long ago to take him back."
"I do not want to go back!" Curtis suddenly looked up and said stubbornly.
"Are you kidding me? If you do not go back, do you plan to stay here forever?"
"Yes, Curtis, be good and come back with us. You can play football in London. There are more kids who like football in Luton. You can play with them," Mrs. Davies advised.
"No, I am not going to Luton. I want to stay at New Manchester United!" Curtis was still stubborn.
"New Manchester United is just a newly established amateur club, while Luton is a formal professional club. No matter how many want to get in for training, they are not allowed to..." Davies was impatient. He spoke without restraint when angry and did not consider Ethan's embarrassed expression at all. Only after Mrs. Davies nudged him several times did he come to his senses.
"I am sorry, Mr. Yu, really sorry. I did not mean that, truly!" Davies, realizing the situation, kept apologizing. The weather was hot and he was so anxious that he was sweating profusely.
"It is okay. You are right. We are indeed a newly established club, but we are not amateur. We have signed several full-time contracts, though the salaries are definitely not as high as Luton's."
Davies felt even more at a loss after hearing this. He wanted to explain, but feared that the more he said, the worse it would sound. Finally, he sighed.
"To be honest, Mr. Yu, I am also a Manchester United fan, and I fully support your actions. However, I only have one son, Curtis. They all say he has a talent for football. Life is not easy for a family like ours, and we cannot give Curtis much. Fortunately, he has worked hard and has been appreciated by Luton Town Football Club."
At this point, Davies smiled proudly, like any father proud of his son's achievements.
"Although there is no salary for youth team apprentices, the costs of study, training, and living are covered by Luton Town, which is a great help for a family like ours. Luton Town is a well-established club with a long history. Although it was relegated from the Premier League in 1992 and then dropped to League Two in 1996, as a professional club, Luton Town is determined to return to the Premier League and can provide Curtis with a better development environment."
Davies's words were weighty, and Ethan could not refute them.
In his memory, Luton had never returned to the Premier League after relegation. Instead, it moved up and down between League One, the Championship, League Two, League Three, and even the National League.
But no matter what, as an old club, Luton was definitely more trusted in English football than New Manchester United.
"You are right, Mr. Davies. I do not deny that for the time being we are far inferior to Luton. Whether in personnel or club conditions, we are at a disadvantage in all aspects. But what we can offer is something Luton does not have. We can give Curtis more opportunities."
Ethan had just paused when the excited Curtis jumped in and continued.
"Yes, Dad, you know what? I played in New Manchester United's internal training game, and do you know who we played against? Giggs, Ryan Giggs, and Roy Keane. They come to train with us every day now. You cannot imagine that I can play against them."
Speaking of this, Curtis looked incredulous, as if recalling the scene of competing with Giggs and Keane on the same field, completely captivated.
"You do not know, I could not believe even in my dreams that I would one day share a pitch with them. Roy and Ryan often remind me, oh, and Steve Bruce, the greatest legendary centre-back in Manchester United's history. He is my partner now and he teaches me all day. I can really learn a lot from them."
"Dad, this is a unique club. I like it here. I like Ethan, even though he is always suspicious I might pick up bad habits. I admire Steve, he is so good, almost a perfect centre-back. I also like everyone here, they are all enthusiastic, unlike the cold training camp at Luton."
Obviously, Curtis had not talked much before, so when they saw him speak at such length, the Davies couple stared in amazement. They might even have worried that Ethan had given Curtis some kind of charm.
However, Curtis's detailed description of Manchester United's big-name stars made Davies a little suspicious.
Isn't New Manchester United a breakaway from Manchester United?
"Steve Bruce has agreed to take over as our head coach. Ryan has just returned from holiday and is playing training matches with our club to regain fitness. Roy has just recovered from a serious injury, but they all support our club very much."
Davies finally understood, though still surprised. He had not expected Ethan to recruit Steve Bruce as head coach, and for Keane and Giggs to support Ethan so much. This was beyond Davies's expectations.
"Mr. Davies, I believe a player with potential does not necessarily need to enter a professional academy to develop. Having a role model like Steve Bruce and hands-on instruction will help Curtis more. Furthermore, although New Manchester United is currently only competing in the North West Division Two, I am confident we can be promoted to the National League within five years. By then, Curtis will only be 18, which is just the right time for him to gain sufficient experience."
Seeing that Mr. Davies was still hesitant, Ethan added one more point.
"If you do not believe me, I can make you a deal. Five years from now, if New Manchester United fails to get promoted to the National League, and a team at a higher level than us is interested in Curtis, we are willing to let him go unconditionally, without asking for a single penny in transfer fees."
Ethan had already said this, and Curtis seemed determined to stay in Manchester, so the Davies couple had no choice but to accept.
"But you do not seem to have a youth academy," Davies raised another question.
Ethan also felt troubled by this. A youth academy cannot be set up overnight. It requires time, money, and people. For New Manchester United, how can it attract young players and coaches?
"For the time being, we will have Curtis train with the first team. Of course, we will take his age into account and arrange his training content appropriately. Bruce has already started working on this."
The Davies couple were not familiar with the football industry. They were simply fans who liked to watch the game and did not know these details. However, since Ethan said it was okay and Curtis had no objection, it should be fine.
Although it was decided that Curtis would continue to stay in Manchester, there were still many things to ask and consider, such as Curtis's daily life and where he would go to school.
Ethan took pains to explain the club's arrangements for Curtis in detail to the Davies couple. After all, they were entrusting their child to his care, so he had to look after him and reassure the parents.
Finally, after the Davies couple cleared all their doubts and confirmed that their son would be fine in Manchester, they began advising Curtis to train hard and study hard in Manchester and strive for this and that future.
Ethan sat aside, feeling both moved and helpless listening to this. Parents are the same everywhere, but sometimes their concern is really too broad. The child is only 13, yet they are already worrying about whether he can have a girlfriend.
Since Davies had to work early the next morning, after dinner the couple had to rush back to London overnight. Ethan took Curtis to see them off from Faulkner Street. After they got in a taxi, he and Curtis turned back toward George Street.
"Hey, can you really promise my dad that you will be promoted to the National League in five years? Stop bragging!" Curtis looked at Ethan with suspicion. He felt Ethan's promise was not very solid, because he had heard players say many times that funding is the key to a club's success.
But Ethan did not look like a rich man at all.
"Do not worry. If I say five years, it means five years. Maybe it will not even take five. Instead of worrying about me, focus on improving yourself. That way, even if New Manchester United cannot get promoted, you will still be able to play for a big club in the future, okay?"
Curtis pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but held back.
(To be continued.)
PS: To cultivate a player's loyalty to the club, sometimes you only need to do some simple, inconspicuous things for them. Through these details, you can win a player's heart.