Prospects

The change was plain to see in the next few exchanges. When the opponent tried a feint again, shifting direction to drag him out of position, Du An no longer lost his balance so easily. His feet adjusted fast. He still could not quite keep up, but he could use his physical advantage to hold his defensive position and block the route through. The man he was marking got free far less often. In only a few minutes he had gone from a novice who was beaten again and again to a defensive shield who could stick to his man. Of course, when a teammate occasionally passed the ball to his feet, his shortcomings were plain as ever. The weaknesses of a complete beginner could not be erased in an instant: his control was crude, he lost the ball far too easily when receiving it, and he simply could not carry it forward. Du An adjusted on the spot and played every ball first time. His technique was crude and he had no real skill at passing and controlling the ball, but the placement of each pass was just right, though his weighting of it was still a little off. Yet he always found the emptiest space on the pitch. A pass that looked careless broke through the loose lines of defense every time. On the sideline David's eyes suddenly lit up. Delight spread across his face and he muttered to himself, “Yes, yes! That's it! That's it!” A flicker of delight crossed Dalglish's eyes too. He nodded silently, and his judgment grew clearer by the moment. Du An undoubtedly had a gift born in him. It was only Grandma Mason who had held him back. But it was not too late. He was only thirteen, with time enough to train. Dalglish was genuinely happy for Du An. Beside him, Lynn noticed none of it. He was still watching Ethan, who kept giving the ball away, watching his rather clumsy challenges, full of irritation and nothing but regret. He grumbled inwardly that it was a complete waste of effort. These academy boys might be among the weaker ones in the club, but compared with these two they were still far too strong; the mismatch was on another level entirely, and this trial was meaningless. When half an hour of intense play ended, most of the academy players on the pitch were gasping for breath, their stamina badly drained. Only Du An, breathing a little harder but still steady, had energy to spare. Abundant stamina was another of his advantages. Years of running, and that mysterious red bead, had given him a physique far beyond boys his own age. Had he not learned the basic rule that charging into a man counted as a foul, Du An felt he could have knocked every opponent his own age flying. Beside the pitch, Dalglish saw it and smiled wider. Abundant stamina was the foundation of football. A holding midfielder who never stopped running was a nightmare for any opponent. The trial ended. Du An walked up to David. “Can I stay?” David came back to himself at once, nodded with a smile, and said without hesitation, “Of course you can.” Hearing this, Lynn barely raised his eyes. He was thoroughly displeased with both boys, but two more substitute sparring partners in the academy squad hardly mattered and would waste little of the club's resources, so he did not object. Ethan flashed a wide grin, plainly delighted. Just when everyone thought it was settled, Du An spoke again and asked the crucial question. “Then how much will I be paid a month?” Lynn's face went blank with astonishment. He stared at Du An. Disbelief filled his voice. “Huh? At your current level, we'd be paying you? Aren't you supposed to pay the academy training fee yourself and come to our facility to improve?” As Lynn's words died away, David's expression darkened completely. He turned and looked Lynn straight in the eye. “You don't understand.” “The talent Du An has shown deserves a proper youth academy contract. I can go to Ray and apply right now. The club will cover every expense of his academy years — not only waive all the fees, but provide a special youth training allowance.” The words were firm, but they made Du An's heart sink the moment he heard them. Free training, a special allowance? It was all too slow. What he lacked now was not the chance to train for free, nor some remote reward in the future. His grandmother's medical fees, the debt Marina had covered for them, the family savings that were now empty — every one of them was a hole that had to be filled at once, and he needed cash in hand immediately. Ethan beside him understood the gap as well. He leaned close to Du An's ear and murmured, “Du An, you could stay and train first. I've heard the academy players say that once you make it and another club comes to poach you, they pay a big signing fee. Put up with it for a while and you'll get money.” Du An lowered his eyes and said nothing. He understood all of that, but he had no time to put up with anything. Just as he stood there weighing it, caught between two impossible choices, Dalglish, silent and watching, suddenly spoke. “Du An, come with me. To Liverpool.” “I can fight to get you a youth academy contract that pays you right away.” A light kindled in the darkness. Du An's head came up sharply. “Really?” Dalglish gave a slight nod. He could see it clearly. Du An's sense of space, his ability to adapt, his stamina — all of it marked him as a rare prospect. As for his basics, at his age they could still be made up. Dalglish himself was a Premier League title-winning manager. He understood only too well what a gift like Du An's was worth to a club. He was certain that Heighway, Liverpool's academy director, would not turn down a player he recommended in person. Meanwhile, Lynn merely shrugged. He had never thought much of Du An and Ethan, complete beginners as they were, and certainly did not think this boy worth fighting over. He raised a hand and called to the players on the pitch to break off and do as they liked. David was thoroughly alarmed. “That's not how it is! Du An, listen to me!” “I can talk to Ray again — I'll get you a monthly allowance, I promise! Everton's academy system suits you better than Liverpool's!” “At Liverpool right now, Benitez doesn't care about the academy at all! He's destroying Kirkby's foundations, and young players get no chance to break through! Go to Liverpool and you'll only be buried there — you'll never have a future, no matter how long you wait!” “But Everton can! We're willing to develop you, to give you steady training and games! Work hard for three or four years, nail down your place in the age groups, and you could push into the first team and play in the Premier League!” David was painting a picture of the future. But Du An only looked at him quietly. “Mr. David.” “Thank you for thinking of so much for me, but I can't think about where I'll be three or four years from now. You don't know my situation. My family owes a lot of money, my grandmother is still lying in hospital, and I need money now.” “I'm sorry.” With that, he turned at once to Dalglish and asked again, “Kenny, can Liverpool really give me a paid contract right now? I can train properly and play my heart out. I won't waste a single chance.” Dalglish looked at the hope in the boy's eyes. His heart softened at once. He stepped forward, put an arm around Du An's shoulders, and smiled at him. “Son, they will.” “They'll give it to you.”