However, Twain's excitement did not last long. After seeing Roy Keane in person, the fire in his heart was quickly extinguished by a basin of cold water.
"I know why you called my agent, Mr. Twain." In a simple Irish restaurant, sitting in a small private room, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said to Twain. "But unfortunately, I have to decline your invitation."
Twain froze for a moment. Did the Irish midfielder refuse people so directly?
He thought about it and could only honestly ask, "Why?"
The agent next to him, Michael Kennedy, answered for Keane, "Because Roy does not intend to be Manchester United's opponent in the Premier League."
What Twain knew was that after Roy Keane left Manchester United freely, he went to the Scottish Premier League team, Celtic, during the winter transfer period and joined the team he had supported and loved since he was a child. It turned out to be because of this. Rejecting his invitation from this perspective really made it impossible for him to continue lobbying.
He recalled Keane's journey after leaving Manchester United … Scottish Premier League, Celtic, and then … then it seemed that he went to Sunderland to be the manager. When he transmigrated, the man was still leading the Black Cats, who were ranked second to last in the English Football League Championship, to struggle towards the Premier League.
No one believed that the Irishman could succeed, and Twain did not believe it before he transmigrated. But now he believed it because he had personally experienced such an incredible thing.
He looked at Keane in front of him. They had confronted each other as opponents a season ago. He did not expect to sit down and chat like this in casual clothes.
Because of his arrival, he did not know if Keane would still be the manager of Sunderland in the future. He did not even know if Keane would still be a player of Celtic after rejecting Nottingham Forest.
"Roy … do you have any plans for the future?" Twain asked after a moment of silence.
"Plans? Are you talking about joining a club or … "
"Further on, what do you want to do when you retire?"
Keane thought about it. "Coach. In my career, two managers have left a very deep impression on me. I hope I can be as successful as them in the future. "
The Irishman did not say which two, but Twain knew in his heart that one was the late Nottingham Forest manager, Brian Clough, who brought Keane from his hometown to England's top league and groomed him into a new star. The other was Alex Ferguson, who snatched him from Blackburn Rovers to Manchester United and made him a world-class star player.
"I think we have something in common." Twain had decided to befriend Keane. Even if Keane rejected him now, that didn't mean that he would change his mind in the future. "Yes, in my coaching career, Brian Clough was the one who influenced me the most. When I had just led the Forest team to some small success, Clough wanted to see me. I thought it was a commendation or appreciation for me. I didn't expect that I would be completely forgotten that afternoon. "
Speaking of this, Tang En suddenly laughed. "Roy, we're really fated."
Keane raised an eyebrow.
"On the way back to Nottingham, I was depressed because of the cold reception. Then, Walker, who was traveling with me, told me a short story, and I was suddenly enlightened … Do you know who the main character of the story is? It's you, Roy. "
Keane was somewhat surprised.
"He told me that after you had a good debut, you met Clough on the training ground the next day. He asked for your name and asked you to shine his shoes for him."
Hearing this, Keane also laughed. "Yes, there was such a thing. I didn't expect them to remember … "He then fell silent, as if caught up in the recollection of the past. The child-faced boy back then had now become a thirty-four-year-old "old man." Twelve years seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
"Roy, I don't know which club you'll choose in the end, but I hope you'll accept my kindness."
Keane snapped out of his memories and looked up at Tang En.
"There are still twenty-three days before the start of the winter transfer window. Before you decide on your next stop, you might as well train with my team to maintain your fitness and form."
Hearing Tang En's words, even Michael Kennedy was surprised.
"It's just regular training. You don't have to participate in my team's training, but you can train alone according to your own plan. The Nottingham Forest Club will provide you with all the facilities. You can use the locker room, the restaurant, the gym, the physiotherapy room with the players … You can do anything except not representing the Forest team in the game and not participating in the team's training. You can even come in a Manchester United jersey. "
Hearing the last sentence, the corner of Keane's mouth twitched and immediately returned to its calm state.
The agent, Michael Kennedy, turned to look at Roy Keane.
Keane lowered his head and asked, "What's in it for you, Mr. Tang En?"
Tang En spread his hands and shrugged. "Why do people always ask 'what's in it for me' when they do something? Isn't it good to be able to help others? Anyway, the Forest team's training base has so many venues, and one more person to train won't be overcrowded. Of course, if you really want me to tell you the reason, I think you're more familiar with the Nottingham Forest Club than other teams. "
"No matter how familiar it is, it's still something from twelve years ago …" Keane muttered.
Tang En thought Keane would not agree and was about to show a "regretful" expression on his face when he heard him add, "Well, until I find a suitable club, I'll train here. I'm already here anyway. Michael? "
Kennedy nodded. "I also think Mr. Tang En's invitation is very timely, and I'm very grateful for Mr. Tang En's enthusiasm and generosity."
Tang En chuckled. "Not at all. I'm a very stingy, eccentric, stubborn, and vengeful person. That's what the media say."
The two men opposite him also laughed.
Tang En clutched his stomach and said, "Can we eat now?"
The laughter had just stopped when it rang out again.
Kennedy went out to call the waiter to bring the menu, while Keane leaned on the table and looked at Tang En. "Mr. Tang En, I'm very interested in the story you just didn't finish telling. You said Walker told you my story when you were depressed. What happened after that? "
"After that …" Tang En pretended to recall and then said, "Later, Walker told me that the kid who shined Clough's shoes became a world-class midfielder and the captain of the Irish national team. After that … I think I'm doing pretty well now! "
The two men laughed at the same time.
One had to know how to be humble, but not lose confidence. The two men, who were three years apart in age, did indeed have this in common. (To be continued, if you want to know what happened afterwards, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support the original reading!)
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