Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Lowry Hotel
7:00 AM BST
The alarm went at seven and Demien's eyes opened before the sound finished because his mind had been half-awake since six waiting for this day to start, and through the window Manchester's morning showed grey clouds that hadn't decided whether to rain yet while the River Irwell moved below.
He swung his legs off the bed and sat on the edge for a moment while running through the mental checklist—training schedule said nine AM sharp, Ten Hag didn't tolerate late arrivals, driver would be outside at eight-thirty which meant he had ninety minutes to eat and prepare.
Room service arrived fifteen minutes later with breakfast he'd ordered last night—scrambled eggs, wheat toast, sliced fruit, black coffee—and he ate methodically at the desk while reviewing the training document Marco had left yesterday that outlined United's pre-season structure and expectations.
