For a League Two club to win a treble was almost unheard of.
It marked the most glorious chapter in New Manchester United's history, but it also brought the club a great deal of trouble.
The Red Rebels had performed exceptionally well in League Two the previous season, and much of their success had been built on their defence.
They conceded only 19 goals across 46 league matches, perfectly reflecting one of the defining characteristics of a Mourinho team. His sides were always defensively outstanding.
However, New Manchester United also scored 98 goals in those 46 matches, 16 more than Brentford, the division's second-highest scorers.
They had also conceded fewer than half as many goals as Stoke City, who possessed the league's second-best defensive record.
In their three League Cup matches against Premier League opposition, New Manchester United scored five goals without conceding once.
That was perhaps the clearest demonstration of their defensive strength, particularly as Čech's performances continued to improve.
Almost no one now doubted that he was an exceptional young goalkeeper.
Nor did anyone continue mocking Ethan for using the valuable Special Talent Clause to sign him.
Instead, people praised Ethan for completing an extraordinarily shrewd deal.
Čech had cost £600,000.
He was now valued at £8 million, yet New Manchester United had no intention of selling him, while the goalkeeper himself had no desire to leave.
Ethan had publicly declared that Čech was not for sale and that no offer, regardless of its size, would persuade the club to release him.
Čech had also repeatedly expressed his loyalty to the Red Rebels.
He had already been selected for the Czech national team and would represent New Manchester United in the UEFA Cup the following season.
For a 20-year-old goalkeeper, there was little more he could ask for.
Even if he joined a major club, would he be guaranteed a starting place?
Arsenal were interested, but Seaman remained their first-choice goalkeeper, so Čech would probably spend much of his time on the bench.
Moreover, Arsenal and the Red Rebels had developed a bitter rivalry, and Čech had formed a poor impression of the London club.
He did not want to join them.
Rather than move to a bigger club and barely play, he preferred to remain at New Manchester United and continue gaining experience.
After all, weaker teams often produced excellent goalkeepers.
Terry and several others felt the same way.
Chelsea deeply regretted allowing Terry to leave.
He had now become one of England's most highly regarded young centre-backs, producing consistently impressive performances and thriving within New Manchester United's defensive system.
Many observers even believed he would be selected for England after the World Cup.
As for Curtis, there was even less to discuss.
He had become the defensive leader and captain of England's Under-21 side.
Although he was only 17, his performances made him appear ten years older.
Before leaving for his holiday, Mourinho had discussed the club's summer transfer plans with Ethan.
He wanted to keep the entire squad together while adding two or three high-quality players.
An attacking midfielder was particularly important to his tactical plans.
Ethan had already selected his preferred candidate.
Kaká.
Following the Brazilian's excellent performances at the World Cup, New Manchester United intended to use that season's Special Talent Clause to bring him to England.
Ethan did not expect the process to create any major difficulties.
Mendes had also helped secure Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon.
After being persuaded by Mendes and receiving a personal telephone call from Mourinho, the highly rated Sporting youngster agreed to join New Manchester United.
Sporting's demands could be resolved with money.
Ethan did not know the exact transfer fee negotiated with the Portuguese club.
He had simply given Mendes a £5 million budget and promised him a generous additional commission.
How much Mendes kept from the difference did not concern Ethan.
To obtain something valuable, one had to be willing to offer something in return.
That was entirely reasonable.
Someone who behaved like a miser, always taking without ever giving, might succeed for a while.
Eventually, however, no one would want to work with him.
That was true in football and every other business.
Ethan's original plan had been to sign Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká, retain the rest of the squad, and prepare for the UEFA Cup.
He had accepted that one or two players might leave.
What he had not expected was for so many New Manchester United players to attract such intense interest.
...
"Keegan has sent us a fax," Walsh said inside Ethan's office at the Newton Heath training complex.
"He wants to bring Shaun Wright-Phillips back to Manchester City and is prepared to pay £5 million.
"I've spoken with Shaun's agent, but he hasn't given me a clear answer."
Ethan shook his head.
He had to admit that Wright-Phillips's desire to leave appeared obvious.
Otherwise, after two or three days, he would at least have contacted the club to explain his position.
Instead, he had remained silent.
Ultimately, he had come through Manchester City's academy and still possessed a strong emotional connection to the club.
Although New Manchester United valued him highly, they had never been able to make him a central figure in the team.
Malouda and Hleb were both excellent players, while Wright-Phillips's form remained inconsistent.
"Damn it. I should have expected this," Ethan said with a bitter smile.
He suddenly remembered how Cesc Fàbregas would one day become desperate to return to Barcelona.
Wright-Phillips's situation was somewhat similar, although New Manchester United could not offer him the same importance Fàbregas would later enjoy at Arsenal.
"Manchester City have returned to the Premier League and clearly intend to spend heavily," Walsh continued.
"They're planning to sign Anelka from Paris Saint-Germain, along with several other players.
"Shaun is one of their main targets."
Ethan considered the situation before calling Mourinho.
After discussing the matter, the manager agreed that Wright-Phillips could leave.
He believed Cristiano Ronaldo could eventually replace his role in the squad, even though the Portuguese youngster still needed considerable development.
"All right, Andy. Have Mark negotiate with Manchester City, but don't make things easy for them.
"We don't need to sell.
"Set the price high.
"Let everyone think we're misers and vampires. Anyone who wants one of our players must be prepared to pay properly."
Walsh nodded immediately.
However, just as he stood and prepared to leave, Mark hurried into the office.
"Good news. Someone wants to give us money," Mark said with a smile, waving a fax in his hand.
Ethan frowned before accepting it with a bitter smile.
It was a transfer enquiry from French club Lens.
"Alou Diarra?"
Ethan was slightly surprised.
He had not expected Diarra to attract serious interest.
It was not because the Frenchman had performed poorly.
He simply had not been a regular starter, particularly during the previous season, when Essien's emergence had reduced him to a rotational role.
Even so, Diarra's performances had remained reliable.
"It's all because of those damned people at Liverpool," Mark said with an exasperated laugh.
"What does Liverpool have to do with this?" Ethan asked.
How were Lens and Liverpool connected?
Mark smiled knowingly.
"Which team has been the greatest surprise at the World Cup?"
"Senegal," Ethan replied, pointing at him.
"Exactly. That remarkable team became famous after defeating France in the opening match.
"Their captain and defensive midfielder, Aliou Cissé, has already joined Steve Bruce's Birmingham City for a substantial fee.
"Now Liverpool have paid Lens £10 million for Diouf."
Ethan immediately understood.
Lens had finished second in Ligue 1 the previous season, behind champions Lyon.
After selling Diouf for a large fee, they naturally wanted to strengthen their squad.
He had simply not expected them to target New Manchester United's Alou Diarra.
"They have money to spend, then. How much have they offered?" Ethan asked with amusement.
Yaya Touré would soon become eligible for a work permit, allowing Ethan to approach the situation more calmly.
In his view, Yaya's ability and potential were at least equal to Diarra's.
The Ivorian would eventually become the holding midfielder in Barcelona's treble-winning team and possessed considerable ability in both attack and defence.
"Their first offer was £3 million, but I rejected it," Mark replied.
"I thought it was far too low."
Ethan nodded.
"Then you can handle the Wright-Phillips negotiations as well.
"Push both prices as high as possible.
"I don't want any of our players leaving cheaply."
Players who left New Manchester United had developed an excellent reputation.
There was little need to mention earlier departures such as Jonathan Mitten, all of whom had established themselves in the Conference.
More recent examples included Distin, Staunton, Krzynówek, Crouch, Kitson, and Poulsen.
Every one of them had proved himself to be a capable player.
Poulsen had even been selected for Denmark's World Cup squad and performed well.
Olić's performances at the tournament had attracted even greater attention.
Ethan had always believed that players who excelled at major competitions such as the World Cup or European Championship were often benefiting from a temporary peak in form.
Even so, he had to admit that many clubs placed enormous value on such performances.
Liverpool, for example, had signed Diouf for a substantial fee before the World Cup had even ended, seemingly terrified that another club might take him first.
Ethan trusted his players.
He was equally confident in his ability to keep anyone he considered essential.
Any player he refused to sell would remain at New Manchester United, regardless of who attempted to sign him.
Since the club held the advantage in negotiations, Ethan had no intention of accepting ordinary offers.
Mark followed the same principle when dealing with Manchester City and Lens.
He initially insisted that both players were unavailable, then deliberately released selected rumours into the transfer market to place further pressure on the interested clubs.
Keegan was certainly willing to spend.
He appeared determined to sign Wright-Phillips and quickly increased Manchester City's offer to £7 million.
For a player who had competed in League Two the previous season, it was already an enormous sum.
However, once Mark recognised Keegan's determination, he adjusted his approach.
He began negotiating more actively while encouraging Manchester City to raise their offer again.
Eventually, the clubs agreed on a fee of £8 million, and Wright-Phillips returned to Manchester City.
Although he was joining a local rival, the size of the transfer fee meant most Red Rebels supporters accepted the deal.
If a player wanted to leave and the club was prepared to release him, receiving an excellent price was still a positive outcome.
However, as soon as the World Cup ended, its consequences swept across the transfer market.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)