Football Dynasty
Chapter 254: Feeder Club Draft Proposal

Chapter 254: Feeder Club Draft Proposal

A fullback’s offensive contribution is a double-edged sword—used wisely, it can control the rhythm of the game; mishandled, it can lead to disaster.

Just like when Zanetti passed to Van Bommel, only for him to be intercepted and lose the ball. City’s promising attack collapsed in an instant, and the very next moment, Manchester United were surging forward on the counterattack!

Butt carried the ball to the edge of the penalty area, enjoying ample space and time to assess the situation.

Giggs was locked in a one-on-one with Zanetti on the wing, effectively neutralizing each other, while in the central area of the penalty box, United had a three-on-two advantage.

Cantona, who had been largely invisible in the first thirty minutes, suddenly sprang to life—making a clever diagonal run to the left, feinting as if he was ready to receive a through ball from Butt.

Naturally, Gallas followed him closely, which freed up the right side. Seeing this, Butt carried the ball to the right and passed it toward Solskjær, who was locked in a duel with Ferdinand.

Solskjær stepped out to receive the pass, using his body to shield the ball before responding brilliantly—flicking it back into the path of Butt, who had continued his run, perfectly executing the one-two.

’Shit’ Ferdinand cursed.

With no other option, he had to turn and block Butt. If he didn’t, Butt would have had a clear one-on-one chance—albeit from a tight angle.

However, the moment Ferdinand committed and left Solskjær, he made a crucial mistake—or rather, City as a whole did: they forgot exactly who they were dealing with.

Solskjær wasn’t just any striker. He was the Baby-Faced Assassin—a forward known for scoring from impossible angles. And there’s a reason people gave him that nickname.

The instant Ferdinand moved, Butt coolly redirected the ball into open space—drawing Ferdinand just enough out of position. The defender hesitated, eyes tracking the pass... then widened in disbelief.

"No way—he’s already there?!"

Indeed, Solskjær had slipped into the gap, completely unmarked. With just a glimpse of the ball, he unleashed a furious strike!

"Ole Gunnar Solskjær shoots!... What a save from Buffon—wait! The ball’s loose—Butt gets there—back to Solskjær!"

A second chance!

This time, Solskjær didn’t miss.

The first shot was denied—Buffon managed to get his fingertips on it, just enough to push the ball wide to the left, where Butt was waiting. As Buffon scrambled to recover and cover the goal, Butt passed the ball back toward Solskjær, who now had nothing but an empty net in front of him.

The ball rocketed into City’s net like a cannonball skimming the grass. Buffon, despite his reflexes, was just a moment too late.

Manchester United had pulled one back.

"What a beautiful shot! Manchester United pull one back! Solskjær’s calm finish is a testament to his teammates’ hard work. The primary credit goes to Nicky Butt, whose driving run split City’s defense and set up the opportunity with Solskjær’s flawless coordination. Can Manchester United turn this around? One thing’s certain—City should be getting nervous now."

Solskjær kept his celebration muted. Having previously played for Manchester City, he simply raised his hand in a gesture of respect toward the fans.

Manchester United 1 - 2 Manchester City

Old Trafford? It roared.

The Manchester United players? They didn’t celebrate.

Instead, Roy Keane immediately shouted instructions. He ran to the goal, grabbed the ball, hugged it to his chest, and sprinted back toward the halfway line. The rest of the United players followed suit—there was no time for celebration.

They had only pulled one back—the job was far from done.

That’s the United mentality.

Ferguson looked slightly relieved as he watched from the touchline, while City’s coaching staff—and even Richard himself—wore grim expressions.

In that moment, Richard truly felt the impact of losing Cafu and Roberto Carlos. Cafu’s absence was especially glaring. The current right-back, 23-year-old Zanetti, played a very different game. While solid and disciplined, he lacked the explosive attacking runs, overlapping support, and blistering pace that had made Cafu such a relentless force on the right flank.

’Well, it doesn’t matter now,’ he muttered.

Restructuring the team requires caution and seriousness. If Cafu excelled in attacking prowess and pace, then Zanetti, from what Richard understood, focused more on defensive solidity and tactical discipline.

Experience plays a key role in knowing when to push forward. Just as important is how teammates adjust their positioning to cover defensively when fullbacks advance.

No tactical evolution comes without sacrifices.

Yes, the goal came from an error by Zanetti and Van Bommel especially—but such moments are inevitable over the course of 90 minutes on the pitch.

Richard immediately pulled his notebook from his pocket and jotted down a note: Right winger.

That’s the position City urgently needs to address, as Zanetti simply cannot replicate Cafu’s creativity on the right flank. To compensate for what they lost with Cafu, the team must either adapt their tactical setup or find a new player capable of reigniting that spark.

The ability to deliver assists from the flank is undeniable. But he also needs to be a threat when approaching the edge of the penalty area. Transforming him into a modern winger—one who directly threatens the goal—is no easy task.

Old Trafford erupted in applause, urging the Red Devils to keep the pressure on their cross-town rivals.

Van Bommel felt a moment of disappointment—but he quickly lifted his head, regaining his composure. He prided himself on being mentally tough; there was no point in dwelling on mistakes.

The coach had made it clear during training: be bold in your offensive runs, and don’t be afraid to make errors.

Following the earlier goal conceded, he dropped into a deeper midfield role alongside Pirlo, focusing on his defensive duties and keeping a close eye on Beckham. Although younger than Beckham, Van Bommel played with fierce intensity—aggressive and physically imposing. A solid challenge from him could leave little room for Beckham to retaliate.

From the moment United pulled one back, the match shifted into overdrive. It wasn’t just that City increased the tempo of their attacks—they also doubled down defensively, pressing with intensity and discipline.

United’s players were forced to move the ball quickly or risk getting caught in City’s well-timed offside traps. With the threat on the right side temporarily neutralized, the battle shifted to the middle and the left once again.

In midfield, Keane and Zanetti clashed repeatedly, locking into a fierce, relentless duel.

Thanks to the earlier goal, Zanetti adjusted his positioning—now covering both the right flank and central midfield. His increased presence and work rate began to disrupt most of Manchester United’s attacking flow.

Roy Keane was the one who truly felt it—as he and Zanetti clashed time and again in the heart of midfield.

At first, it seemed like a typical physical battle. But soon, Keane was taken aback by the Argentine’s relentless work rate.

Zanetti would go down, spring back up, get knocked over again—and rise without hesitation.

Every time Keane collided with him, thinking he’d created some space, Zanetti was back on his feet in an instant. Keane regained possession at one point, only for Zanetti to lunge again. Keane knocked him down—but within seconds, Zanetti was up, chasing once more.

After several confrontations, Keane couldn’t help but steal a few glances at the quiet, focused Zanetti. He didn’t even look out of breath—despite all his relentless runs up and down the pitch, back and forth!

No talk, just action. Keane respected that kind of player.

Respect aside, the intensity of the confrontation wouldn’t diminish. It became a battle of wills; who was tougher?

Even Richard, watching from the stands, couldn’t help but applaud. Watching Zanetti—the Argentine workhorse—reminded him of something.

He turned toward Miss Heysen and Marina beside him and asked, "How about that feeder club draft I requested? Have you had the chance to study it?"

The concept of feeder clubs had existed informally for decades, but it had not yet become formally recognized or strategically used.

Richard had been studying how far the feeder club system has evolved. From what he understood, big clubs used to have informal relationships with smaller local teams for player development and loan purposes. These arrangements were not officially structured or commercialized.

However, there is a rumor that Manchester United, who are currently very close with Belgian club Royal Antwerp, tend to send young players—especially non-EU ones—for development and work permit processing.

Arsenal also has a very close relationship with Beveren, as several trialists and youth prospects from West Africa were evaluated through the club, even if they didn’t all sign professionally.

Hearing Richard’s inquiry, Miss Heysen pulled her attention away from the game. Still, she responded professionally, acknowledging his request. She opened her notebook, flipping to a section marked in black ink.

"We’ve covered the basics," she said. "There’s no formal system in place yet, but clubs are clearly experimenting. You already asked about Manchester United—based on what I’ve found, their link with Royal Antwerp is still more of a workaround than a true partnership. It’s mostly about visas and player development."

In other words, there had been no announcements—and no formal establishment—yet.

"And Arsenal?" Richard asked.

"They’re even more hush-hush," she replied. "It’s mostly David Dein’s initiative. They’ve been keeping an eye on West African talent—particularly players from ASEC Mimosas in Ivory Coast. Beveren acts as a landing pad, a filtering station, but so far, no one has passed their criteria. In short, it’s still patchwork. There’s no blueprint yet."

Richard leaned back in his seat, eyes returning to the pitch—where Zanetti was tirelessly covering every blade of grass.

If he remembered correctly, the first African talents to truly make a breakthrough to Arsenal through Beveren were Emmanuel Eboué and Kolo Touré.

"Then we get ahead of it," he said firmly. "Before anyone else does, we turn it into our scouting platform."

At the moment, City didn’t even have a proper youth scouting structure—but that didn’t mean Richard wasn’t planning to build one. He just wanted to make sure everything was done right, step by step.

And the first thing that came to mind was: a feeder club.

"Then we need to find the right club. Not too far. Not too famous. Just enough infrastructure and hunger. Somewhere we can place our youth without the press catching wind," Marina added, nodding in agreement. The concept of a feeder club was new to her—but as the person in charge of player recruitment, she found it promising.

However, hearing Marina’s suggestion made Richard shake his head.

"No," he said, glancing at her. "We’ll establish our presence in South America first."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.