New Manchester United's Newton Heath training ground is located next to Newton Heath's Brookdale Park. There is only a secluded tree-lined path between the two, surrounded by residential buildings, and few people come and go, so it looks particularly quiet.
I don't know if it's destined or what, the road outside Brookdale Park is called Droyesden Road, but it is far from the Droyesden area where Butcher's Knife Stadium is located.
When renting this area as a training ground, Levi also rented out this row of houses near Droyesden Road. Three of them became the offices of the New Manchester United club, and the others were converted into changing rooms for the training ground and rooms for other uses.
Although the area is large, there are not many facilities, making the entire training ground look empty.
During the time when the small players were sent here to train from the surrounding schools, Kassel had the grass on the training ground divided. Half of it was used by the first team, and the rest was reserved for the small players' use. He watched with Hampson and two newly hired assistants, taking notes from time to time.
When they heard that New Manchester United was recruiting players, in addition to students studying in several nearby schools such as Windsor, Newton, and Cambridge, many parents of fans brought their children here.
Therefore, during the days of trial training, New Manchester United almost turned into a scout camp!
Due to the school's need to balance academic studies, the children's trial training could only be intermittent, which added to the difficulty of New Manchester United's trial training work. So in those days, Levi and Walsh also joined the ranks of helpers, busy.
Because it is only the first group of youth teams, New Manchester United only considers recruiting children in the age group of 10-16 for the time being, and then divides them into different groups based on the number and age. This is also due to the current manpower and all aspects under-resourced relationship.
"A total of 367 students participated in the trial training this time. After selection, we finally decided to keep 40 young players," Kassel said in a kind and gentle tone, always speaking with patience and encouragement.
Sometimes Levi thought that only his character could allow him to work in a place like a youth training camp for more than 30 years. He heard that Kassel started with the youngest age and taught those young children football, then was watched by Eric Harrison, transferred directly to an assistant, and then followed for nearly two decades.
"Count Messi and Curtis?" Levi asked.
Kassel nodded, "These two will definitely be the best products of our youth camp in the future, we can't afford to miss them!" He chuckled.
Levi, Walsh, and Bruce, who participated in the meeting, each took over the list handed over by Kassel and watched it intently. This was the first time that New Manchester United's youth camp was recruiting people, so they paid close attention.
"What do these red lines mean?" Walsh asked, not quite understanding.
In this list, some player names had been drawn with red lines, but not many, only five or six.
"This means that the player has a certain talent, but we need to observe them more closely through daily training. But I see from these young players who come to train that there are two excellent talents," Kassel said, clearly dedicated to tapping into the talent of young players and enjoying it.
"Is this Ismail Miller and Michael Johnson?" Bruce pointed to two of the names on the list, circled with a big red pen, particularly prominent, with the schools identified at the end of the two names - Cambridge and Windsor.
"It's the two of them. Ismail Miller has an excellent left foot, and he's tall and strong. He has a good shot. With a little polishing, he could be a very good forward. As for Michael Johnson, his skills with both his left and right feet are excellent. His medium and long-distance passes are very special, and he's very smart and impressive!" Kassel's vision aligned with Bruce's. After just watching the halftime ball, Bruce praised the two players and thought that they would not lose to Curtis, or even Messi.
Previously, Levi only knew the names Ismail and Michael, but did not inquire about their full names. When he heard the full names, they sounded very familiar, especially that of Ismail Miller.
Levi thought and thought, looking distressed.
"Levi, what's the matter with you?" Seeing that Levi hadn't spoken, Bruce was a little puzzled.
"Oh, nothing, what were you saying?" Levi snapped out of his thoughts.
Bruce sensed that Levi was preoccupied with something, and he didn't ask much. "We were talking about Ismail Miller and Michael Johnson. Both players are excellent. Michael Johnson has also been to Manchester City for a trial. They are considering signing him, so if we want to grab him, we should act as soon as possible!"
"Manchester City?" Levi suddenly seemed to grasp something.
"Yes, Manchester City!" Bruce was a little surprised.
Levi suddenly realized that Ismail Miller was born in 1987 and came from Manchester City's youth training camp. In 2007, it was rumored that Manchester City was going to release Sun Jihai. Levi also paid attention to this team. Miller played as a left forward, and it was rumored that Bolton offered £2 million to buy him when he was on loan from Manchester City to West Bromwich.
Since then, West Bromwich's performance had become more and more outstanding, especially after changing forwards. It was West Bromwich's main force in returning to the Premier League. West Bromwich also bought out Ismail Miller's ownership from Manchester City in January 2008.
However, a serious injury in December 2008 caused Ismail's knee ligament to tear, which forced him to temporarily leave the field for more than a year. Until Levi crossed over, he never heard of him again.
In the past, when playing FM Football Manager, Levi, in addition to leading the giants, also liked to manage lower-level teams in England. The feeling of building a team from nothing to strong gave him great satisfaction. In Levi's game history, Ismail Miller was one of his favorite players to buy. After buying him, using a modifier to correct his injury, he scored plenty of goals.
As an adult, Ismail Miller stood at 191 cm tall, physically strong like a bull, with excellent skills. He was also left-footed, and his heading, shooting, and other techniques were very balanced. His speed was rated 18, alongside players like Ronaldo, Pato, and Navas, which showcased his abilities.
If this guy was trained well, he would definitely be an enhanced version of Ibrahimovic!
As for Michael Johnson, he was a well-known young talent among FM Premier League players. He was born in Manchester but somehow ended up at Everton. He was later bought back by Manchester City and had been playing for them since. Precise passing and excellent dribbling technique were his trademarks.
Levi never imagined that these two potential stars, whom he used to favor in the FM game, would actually appear in his life.
Thanks to his old computer, he didn't make avatars when playing games, so he always knew the names but not the faces, and he almost let the two future superstars slip through his fingers in vain.
"No, we must act quickly!" Levi exclaimed.
The others in the room were suddenly taken aback by Levi's fierce reaction. The boss seemed a bit on edge today.
"I mean, we must secure these two players as soon as possible!" Levi quickly amended, "Andy, I'll leave it to you to collaborate with Jim, and I'll handle the finances. This matter must be handled with utmost care; it can influence the future of our club!"
Walsh nodded solemnly, fully aware of the value of the youth academy for the club, as a devoted fan.
After seeing everyone off, Levi stood at the office's floor-to-ceiling glass door, observing the players training outside on the grounds. But his mind was elsewhere, pondering the fate of Ismail Miller and Michael Johnson. What about the other potential genius stars?
The non-EU players aside for now, as New Manchester United's influence hadn't reached those regions yet. But what about British local players? For instance, the talented Micah Richards, also from Manchester City. He was once released from Leeds United but found success at Manchester City.
It seemed that by working hard to improve the team's youth training camp and achieving better team performance as soon as possible, Levi could potentially recruit all the future superstars.
Kaka, Ronaldo Jr., Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo, Essien, Ribery, Wayne Rooney, Tevez, Mascherano, Terry, Aguero, Vidic...
The thought left Levi feeling dizzy. He was overwhelmed by the possibilities, but also daunted by the reality of the situation.
In the subsequent negotiations with Ismail Miller and Michael Johnson's parents, Levi realized that it wasn't easy for a small team like theirs.