Chapter 6: The Talk [1]

"System, I want to see my stats."

[Ding! Downloading host stats]

[Ding! Stats downloading]

[Age: 17]

[Club/Affiliation: Middlesbrough FC Academy (U18)]

[Position: Attacking Midfielder {Second Striker/Central Midfielder/Right Midfielder}]

[Status: Academy scholar]

[Current Rating: 54]

[Potential Cap: 72]

[Credits: 90]

[Core Stats]

[Pace: 58]

[Shooting: 51]

[Passing: 55]

[Dribbling: 53]

[Defending: 47]

[Physicality: 48]

[Endurance: 60]

[Mental: 61]

[Set Pieces: 44]

[Leadership: 39]

Will smiled in satisfaction when he saw his stats. He hadn’t made any improvements, at least not according to the system anyway, since he got the system but he was generally playing better thanks to the system overlay, and there was real hope for him developing thanks to the cap expansion system.

The next morning, he was supposed to have a meeting with David. He had no idea what was going to be said in the meeting, and even though he was trying his best to be hopeful, he couldn’t help but feel nervous. Even though being released from Middlesbrough wasn’t as scary a prospect to him as it was three days ago, he still did not want to be released.

They were his local club and he had been supporting them all his life. It would be a dream come true for him to rise through their ranks and make his debut for the first team.

"Huu," Will took a deep breath to calm himself and then tried to focus his thoughts on other topics. After quite a few minutes, he finally tired out and fell asleep.

The next morning, Will woke up early as usual. He felt unusually tired but he pulled through and forced himself to go to Rockliffe Park. He went inside and set up a few training cones in close proximity to each other, leading up to a small sized goalpost he had brought outside with the training cones.

After he was done setting things up, he took his football to the starting point of the cones and dribbled through the cones without slowing down and when he was done with the path, he fired into the small net.

About ten minutes later, he shot the ball into the back of the net for the last time and smiled in satisfaction when he heard a signature bell chime sound in the back of his mind.

[Ding! Daily Mission Completed]

[Mission: Complete 100 1v0 dribble and shoot drills]

[Reward: 20 Credits]

"Huu," Will sighed when he saw the message. He collapsed to the ground and lay there for a few minutes before he packed the training equipment from the field and carried it back to where he picked it from. After he finished with that, he went back to the locker room and waited for everyone to arrive with the rest of the boys for training.

"Alright boys, today we’re going to go a little harder than we’ve been going this week," David said as everyone gathered at the center of the pitch. "Our first friendly of the pre-season is against a trial team like I said yesterday, and even though we should absolutely blitz them, I still don’t want to take any chances so we’ll be preparing in kind."

"We’re going to do a lot of technical and physical drills and everything will be capped off by finishing drills for the forwards, passing drills for the midfielders, defensive positioning and defending drills for the defenders and the goalkeepers will do whatever it is they do with the goalkeeping coach."

Will groaned internally when he heard the training programs. He was already slightly jaded from the system forced training that he did earlier, and now he had to train with even more intensity when his place at the academy was most likely riding on his performance.

"Alex is going to be glad he missed this, that is for sure," Will thought to himself before he groaned and started stretching with the rest of the boys on the field.

Will managed to get through the rest of the training session without dropping his intensity. He was battered by the end, but hey, at least he survived. It seemed like everything was difficult to do, especially the passing drills. His slightly overhit pass didn’t seem like much when the conditions were optimal. Instead, he looked like a bum who couldn’t complete a long pass for the life of him.

"Thank God that’s over now," Will thought to himself as he sat on the bench inside the locker room and changed into his regular outfit from his training wear.

"Smithson. My office," David stepped inside the locker room briefly and then stepped outside.

As soon as David finished speaking, Will rushed to change out of his training wear, messily stuffed all his things into his bag and then ran out of the locker room and into David’s office.

David was already in his chair when Will came in. His jacket was off, draped over the back of the seat, and he had his hands folded on the desk. He watched Will come in and didn’t say anything until Will had shut the door.

"Sit down."

Will nodded and dropped onto one of the two seats that were arranged in front of David’s chair. His heart pounded wildly as he settled his gaze to focus on David’s eyes.

He was about to have the conversation that could change the trajectory of his career. Things could either go very well from here on out or they could go south. And it all depended on what David had to say to him.

"Alright Will, I know you know why I called you in today," David spoke after a few seconds of awkward gazing.

Will nodded slightly. "Yeah."

"Alright then, I won’t waste too much of your time," David said.