Commercial development had always been one of New Manchester United's priorities.
Over the years, Ethan had spent heavily recruiting specialists through Mark David, and the results were obvious.
The club's commercial value and global influence had risen rapidly.
Fernando Redondo was perhaps the clearest example.
Over the previous year, the Argentine midfielder had gradually returned to the attention of football supporters around the world.
But most of his public appearances had nothing to do with football.
They were charity events.
That summer, Redondo had even given up part of his holiday to take part in a series of charitable projects in Africa, working alongside UNICEF and sponsors such as Vodafone.
Those activities had significantly improved his public profile.
More and more supporters now associated Redondo not merely with football, but with philanthropy.
The club's commercial department had played a major role in shaping that image.
And with Beckham, their plans were even more ambitious.
His new shirt number had been carefully selected.
His sponsorship portfolio was already being expanded.
Soon after Beckham signed, Pepsi announced an extension of its endorsement agreement with him, while Audi was preparing a separate sponsorship deal.
Adidas was equally enthusiastic.
In addition to launching Beckham's No. 23 shirt across Britain immediately, the company quickly began distributing it throughout its international markets.
Two days later, the first sales figures reached Ethan.
In Manchester alone, around two hundred Beckham shirts had been sold during the first hour.
Each cost £50.
Across Europe, more than 40,000 No. 23 shirts had been sold in only two days.
That represented roughly £2 million in retail sales.
And that was only Europe.
Once Adidas and New Manchester United began promoting Beckham more aggressively around the world, the numbers were expected to rise dramatically.
The club's commercial department and Adidas had already produced projections.
If Beckham performed well during the coming season, they believed his No. 23 shirt could eventually sell as many as one million units.
At £50 each, that would mean £50 million in retail sales.
Naturally, New Manchester United would not keep all of that money.
Revenue had to be shared with Adidas and other parties under the club's commercial agreements.
Even so, the projected sales figures were extraordinary.
Not even Ronaldo or Zidane could guarantee that kind of shirt demand.
And that did not include the potential of Beckham's emerging DB23 identity.
The club and Beckham's representatives were now preparing to develop both the established DB7 brand and the new DB23 brand.
If Beckham's shirt continued selling at its current rate, his popularity would almost certainly lift merchandise sales for the rest of the squad as well.
That was precisely why Ethan was not overly concerned about the future rise of players such as Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo.
If they became global superstars, their salaries would increase.
But so would their commercial value.
Their success would bring more revenue into the club and increase New Manchester United's international influence.
Of course, Ethan had never forgotten why the club existed.
Commercial growth had to remain controlled.
Football still came first.
The day after Beckham's presentation, he travelled with the squad to Ireland.
...
The weather in Ireland was ideal for preseason training.
Cool.
Occasional rain.
Comfortable temperatures.
Mourinho had considered several destinations before choosing it.
The area offered excellent natural pitches and, unlike Manchester, did not have hundreds of reporters waiting outside every training session.
The players could work in relative peace.
A total of fifty-five people travelled with the squad.
The first-team group contained twenty-six players, although several were still absent.
Redondo remained in Africa for his charity commitments.
Cesc Fàbregas was away with Spain's youth setup preparing for the FIFA U-17 World Championship.
Messi, Joe Hart, and Ishmael were also due to join Argentina and England youth squads respectively, although they would link up with their national teams in Finland in early August.
New Manchester United had originally wanted Cesc to take part in the full preseason camp.
The Spanish federation, however, requested that he report early.
After discussions, the club agreed.
The players were accompanied by the coaching staff, sports scientists, and medical personnel.
Mourinho wanted to use the Ireland camp to begin shaping his strongest side for the new season.
Several friendlies against Irish professional clubs had also been arranged so he could test combinations and tactical ideas under match conditions.
As usual, Ethan travelled with the squad.
He liked Ireland.
After spending so much time in the industrial surroundings of Manchester, escaping to the countryside for a few weeks was a welcome change.
Eva came with him as well.
Now pregnant, she had cancelled her Hollywood commitments and intended to spend the summer quietly with Ethan.
...
Mourinho's preseason schedule was as demanding as ever.
Three sessions a day.
The players woke at 6:30 in the morning.
Breakfast began at 7:00.
At 8:00, they completed stretching, mobility, and recovery work in the hotel gym and swimming pool.
From 11:00 until 12:30 came a ninety-minute conditioning session with the ball.
Over the previous three years, Rui Faria and the sports-science department had developed training methods that combined physical preparation with technical work.
Instead of endless running without the ball, players built their fitness through football-specific drills.
The approach developed stamina while also improving passing, movement, coordination, and team understanding.
Lunch was served at 1:30.
The players then rested through the afternoon.
From 6:00 until 7:30 came the third session.
Again, most of the work involved the ball.
This session concentrated much more heavily on tactical organisation.
Mourinho occasionally finished it with an internal practice match.
Every player knew the schedule in advance.
After several seasons under Mourinho, most of the squad were already accustomed to his methods.
They understood how demanding the work would be.
They also understood how effective it was.
Nobody took shortcuts.
During those sessions, Ethan noticed one tactical experiment immediately.
Mourinho was deliberately placing Beckham in Juninho's old role.
Deep in midfield.
Usually alongside Essien.
Essien handled most of the ball-winning, defensive coverage, and physical duels.
Beckham was responsible for organising possession.
There were obvious differences between him and Juninho.
Beckham covered more ground.
His stamina allowed him to keep moving throughout the midfield.
His ability to play quickly with one or two touches was comparable to Juninho's.
But his long passing from deep offered something Juninho had never possessed at the same level.
Cassell had already pointed out another advantage.
Much of New Manchester United's off-the-ball philosophy had been influenced by ideas Mourinho and his staff had studied from Manchester United.
Beckham had grown up inside that environment.
Movement without the ball had been drilled into him since he entered Manchester United's academy.
New Manchester United's version had evolved considerably to suit Mourinho's own football, but the basic habits were familiar enough that Beckham adapted almost immediately.
The bigger adjustment involved tight-space combinations.
Manchester United had traditionally played with more width and more space.
Mourinho's team often demanded rapid short passing and constant movement in congested central areas.
That would require work.
But Beckham's enormous running capacity allowed him to support the Magic Four from behind in a way Mourinho found extremely useful.
The manager was even more interested in Beckham's long passing.
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Robben.
Palacio.
Messi.
Kaká.
Ishmael.
Villa.
Ribéry.
Even Drogba.
New Manchester United had pace everywhere in attack.
Mourinho clearly intended to exploit it.
Beckham would not merely replace Juninho as an organiser.
His ability to launch precise passes from deep could become a new weapon in transition.
...
Despite arriving as one of the most famous footballers in the world, Beckham showed no superstar attitude whatsoever.
He fitted into the dressing room remarkably quickly.
In fact, the story of exactly how his new teammates first accepted him would probably have amused football supporters around the world if it ever became public.
It happened shortly after the squad arrived in Ireland.
The players had just finished the midday training session.
Everyone was soaked in sweat.
The rented training complex had a communal changing room and showers.
The younger players were completely accustomed to it.
They rushed inside, stripped off, and headed straight for the showers.
Nobody thought twice about it.
Then Beckham walked in.
Without hesitation, he did exactly the same.
He changed with everyone else, found an empty shower, and started washing.
Within seconds, several players had stopped what they were doing.
Beckham eventually noticed the silence.
He looked around.
"What's wrong?"
Nobody answered.
The younger players were simply staring.
David Beckham was one of the most photographed men on the planet.
An international celebrity.
The face of countless advertising campaigns.
Yet here he was standing in the same ordinary communal shower as everyone else, behaving as though nothing about him was unusual.
For a moment, some of them almost looked as though they thought they were dreaming.
Beckham quickly realised what was happening.
He smiled and turned back towards the shower.
"I'm a footballer too.
"Whatever happens outside this dressing room doesn't matter in here.
"I'm just another player.
"Same as all of you."
That finally broke the spell.
Several players nodded.
Curtis, standing nearby, shook his head.
"No, David.
"Not quite the same."
Beckham glanced over.
"What's different?"
Curtis walked towards him with a grin and tugged at a patch of Beckham's chest hair.
"You've got more hair than the rest of us!"
The entire room exploded with laughter.
Beckham immediately grabbed Curtis.
Curtis tried to escape.
The others started shouting encouragement, delighted by the possibility of seeing their vice-captain wrestle with Beckham.
Within seconds, the changing room descended into chaos.
Water went everywhere.
Someone threw a towel.
Someone else joined in.
The noise became so loud that the coaches outside thought something serious had happened.
Mourinho rushed through the door.
Unfortunately for him, he walked straight into the middle of it.
A jet of water hit him almost immediately.
His tracksuit was soaked.
The changing room went silent.
For about two seconds.
Then everyone started laughing again.
When Ethan later heard the story, he laughed until his sides hurt.
He had already been confident that Beckham would integrate successfully.
But hearing how quickly it had happened made him even happier.
Moments like that mattered.
They meant the dressing room had stopped seeing Beckham as a global celebrity.
He had become one of them.
Of course, nobody outside the group would ever hear the full story.
What happened inside the dressing room stayed there.
That rule applied to everyone.
Players.
Coaches.
Staff.
Break it, and trust disappeared.
And without trust, a player could not survive inside a dressing room.
One of football's most famous cautionary examples was Jaap Stam, whose relationship with Manchester United had deteriorated badly after private dressing-room matters appeared publicly.
New Manchester United took the same principle seriously.
Only the players involved, Mourinho, Cassell, Moniz, and Ethan knew the details.
Nobody intended to repeat them.
But when Mourinho told Ethan about the incident, he also raised a much more serious issue.
Juninho was gone.
That meant the captain's armband was vacant.
Someone had to inherit it.
Mourinho had several candidates in mind.
But for once, even he was uncertain.
And he wanted Ethan's opinion.
(To be continued.)