Chapter 51

Beckham packed his bags and left London on that day.

That evening, Audrich received a call from the Manchester United manager.

"Audrich, I've learned about David's situation. I don't want this to affect our relationship."

Audrich found the Scottish old man's opening remarks a bit strange.

"Huh? Do you think I'm a three-year-old who's upset with Beckham and thus harbors hatred towards the entire Manchester United club? Don't worry, I'm not that petty. David is still immature, and given his status as a loan player from Millwall, it's normal that he didn't listen to me."

Ferguson, who was naturally perceptive of tactical matters, had watched the match footage of Middlesbrough's away game against Millwall before calling Audrich. He had already learned the detailed course of events from another player, Phil Neville.

Ferguson, who was protective of his players, wouldn't blame David Beckham, wouldn't even mention him, and wouldn't call Audrich specifically to explain anything. Audrich could predict all of this, but when Ferguson said it wouldn't affect the relationship between the two clubs, Audrich found it strange.

"Um, you're a carefree young man. Alright, I won't say more. Goodbye."

After hanging up, Audrich was puzzled.

Not say more?

Ferguson clearly had more to say!

Just the timing wasn't right.

It wasn't until Audrich was soaking in the bathtub at home that he realized: the old man was afraid that he would harbor resentment towards Manchester United and refuse to sell players to them!

Did Ferguson want to buy players?

Definitely!

Although he had signed Andy Cole as a forward in January, Ferguson was determined to challenge Kenny Dalglish's Blackburn in the second half of the season. However, no one expected that just half a month later, in the match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace, Cantona would shock the world by kicking a Crystal Palace fan.

The FA had already issued a penalty, banning Cantona for eight months!

The winter transfer window had closed, and Cantona's suspension would extend until the end of September.

This meant that for the first few rounds of the next Premier League season, Manchester United would still be without Cantona. The state of Cantona, who hadn't played for eight months, was also uncertain. Ferguson had just filled the forward line with Keegan, but now he had to start worrying about the forwards again.

After Ferguson inquired about Beckham's return to Manchester, his eyes weren't just on Larsson anymore. Trezeguet and Solskjaer also entered the radar of Manchester United's scouts.

The day after the match, the team had a day off in the morning, and in the afternoon, the players came to the training ground for a light recovery session.

As the sun set, Audrich called Phil Neville to his office.

Neville, still a straightforward young man after changing into casual clothes after training, sat down and got straight to the point: "Boss, I want to stay, at least until the end of this season. At Millwall, I feel I can gain valuable experience."

Straightforward people don't beat around the bush.

Phil Neville, as a substitute, had already played over ten times this season. At Millwall, Audrich couldn't say he had devoted himself entirely to nurturing him, but the entire coaching staff had treated him and Beckham, who were on loan, equally.

Audrich sighed softly. "I hope you stay, but it's impossible. You should understand that if you stay, your life here will be difficult in the coming months because you are a Manchester United player."

After Beckham was sent away, if Neville stayed, he would definitely be isolated in the dressing room. Audrich couldn't expect the team's players to be noble enough to treat him equally.

Neville, though he hadn't caused a stir, his Manchester United background made it impossible for him to stand in this team sport based on collectivism.

Neville's face fell, and he didn't argue.

He was a casualty of the situation. Because of Beckham's incident, the Millwall players distrusted and excluded him, which was to be expected.

Audrich picked up two thick stacks of documents from the table and handed them to him. "I called you here for this. These are your and David's training reports since last August, and one is a suggestion for future development training."

Neville reached out to take the two thick stacks of documents, which felt heavy in his hands. He suddenly didn't know what to say.

Audrich was known for his dedication to his work, and the coaches on the coaching staff were all diligent. They treated loan players like Beckham and Neville equally. These two reports moved Neville to the point where he couldn't speak.

"Take these documents back to Manchester United. I'm just fulfilling my duty. You and David are young. When you were loaned here, it was out of necessity, but since you came to Millwall, I felt it was my responsibility to take care of your growth..."

Audrich rambled on, even finding himself verbose, but he couldn't stop. He felt a tinge of sadness.

After all, they had been together for half a year. The sudden parting was unexpected.

Neville listened attentively, nodding frequently. Especially when Audrich, speaking as a friend, advised him to train hard and not be distracted by off-field matters, Neville nodded heavily, engraving every word in his heart.

Following Beckham's departure, Neville also returned to Manchester United. It wasn't until the midweek FA Cup replay press conference that the media brought up the matter.

Leading the team to St. James' Park for the second time this season, Audrich faced a barrage of questions from the media at the pre-match press conference.

"Why did David Beckham and Phil Neville suddenly return to Manchester United after the last match? Manchester United officially announced at the start of the season that the two players would be on loan to Millwall for the entire season. What happened?"

Faced with the journalists' relentless questioning, Audrich, who was originally unwilling to delve into the matter, could only respond lightly, "Millwall's upcoming schedule is relatively light, and the team's current situation is sufficient to handle all matches. Beckham and Neville won't have any more opportunities to play for Millwall. I believe it's better for their growth to return to Manchester United early."

At this point, Audrich realized how persistent the journalists could be.

He had thought that the two major news stories last month would keep the English journalists busy for a while. Whether it was Graham's dismissal or Cantona's kick, both were enough to keep the journalists writing. Audrich had declined to comment on both incidents during interviews. After Arsenal's loss to Millwall, he didn't want to kick Graham while he was down.

And Cantona's kick was at a Crystal Palace fan. Given the derby relationship between Millwall and Crystal Palace, he couldn't easily comment.

Standing with Manchester United would be inhumane.

Standing with Crystal Palace would be like turning his back on his own team.

Remaining neutral?

Speaking out would offend both sides.

Was it worth it?

Today, the journalists were speculating whether Audrich's relationship with Manchester United had broken down or if there had been a hostile incident.

From the questions the journalists asked, Audrich felt a bit relieved. At least no one had revealed the truth. His outburst in the dressing room had not been leaked, which was a major taboo.

"Gentlemen, if there are no more questions about the FA Cup match, I'll take my leave."

Audrich answered a few more lukewarm questions about the match and then got up to leave.

As for Kevin Keegan's pre-match boast that his team would defeat Millwall, Audrich didn't take it to heart.

Kevin Keegan was a unique figure in English football.

A very successful player in the 1970s and 1980s, he was considered a superstar in England. Especially in his last match, after the game, a helicopter landed on the pitch, and Kevin Keegan, with tears in his eyes, waved goodbye to the fans, changed into his street clothes, and boarded the helicopter, which then flew away, marking the end of a generation of stars.

He truly had the demeanor of "finishing the task and retiring, deeply hiding his achievements."

As a former striker, he coached Newcastle United to a beautiful attacking style. In recent years, he had become a bit overconfident, thinking he could challenge Ferguson, which Audrich found somewhat amusing.

If football matches were decided solely by offense, Kevin Keegan would have a good chance of winning.

If Millwall hadn't had no interest in the cup this season and Audrich hadn't been reluctant to change the team's strategy, he would have really wanted to give Kevin Keegan a lesson in "defense wins" with his young players.

Let the other team be confident; Audrich didn't care about the provocations.

Due to Beckham and Neville's departure, Audrich was a bit short-handed in his lineup. For the FA Cup replay, he let Lucas Neil continue to play, Zambrotta switched to right-back, and the midfield remained the same as against Arsenal: Gattuso, Vieira, and Ballack.

The three forwards: Glenys, Phillips, and Solskjaer.

Audrich wanted to see how a 4-3-3 formation with Glenys and Solskjaer as wingers would work.

At St. James' Park, Newcastle United fielded their full-strength team, and both sides engaged in a thrilling offensive battle.

The previous match ended 1-1.

This match, no one expected the final score after 90 minutes to be 4-4.

Facing the offensively talented Newcastle United, Audrich knew that a defensive approach wouldn't work. They weren't facing a rough team from the Second Division but a top Premier League team known for its offense.

With Ballack and Vieira's forward-assisting abilities and the unexpected performance of the three forwards, Millwall's attack was also lively.

Phillips scored twice, Solskjaer scored once, and Ballack headed in the equalizer in the final moments.

In the extra time, the exhausted Millwall was finally defeated by Newcastle, eliminating them from the FA Cup fourth round.

Audrich had no regrets. In the post-match interview, he was surprised to hear Kevin Keegan making more bold statements.

"Mr. Keegan said that Millwall paid the price for not respecting the FA Cup, and even if Millwall is promoted to the Premier League next season, it will be difficult for them to avoid relegation."

"Did he really say that?"

Audrich looked puzzled in front of the post-match interview camera.

You won the match, celebrate however you want, but why do you have to keep harping on me?

Alright, we have a grudge now!

"I'm glad to hear Mr. Kevin Keegan's comments. If Millwall is promoted to the Premier League next season, our goal will be to avoid relegation, especially when facing strong teams like Newcastle United. We need to earn points from them to avoid relegation. This season, Newcastle United has lost their chance to compete for the Premier League title, so I wish Mr. Kevin Keegan the opportunity to touch the Premier League trophy next season."