<h4>Chapter 200: Aldrich''s Anger</h4>


    Millwall secured a home victory against Leicester City, while Manchester United, who had been shouting about Millwall''s looming copse, suffered a home defeat to Derby County in the same round. This bumped the points difference between the two teams from 11 to 14. With only six rounds remaining in the league, Millwall would have to copse spectacrly to give Manchester United any chance for aeback.


    Fleet Street wasted no time in piling on the pressure for United: "Hoping for Millwall''s copse? You should focus on not copsing yourselves first! Liverpool is just four points behind you; hang on to second ce in the league, and your Champions League ticket will vanish unless you can clinch the UEFA Champions League!"


    The day for international fixtures arrived as expected, and yers reported to their national teams. Makelele and Trezeguet were both called up for the French squad for the first time. Before leaving, Makelele made a special trip to Aldrich to express his gratitude, knowing that without Aldrich tirelessly rmending him to the French team, he might never have made the cut in such a talented squad.


    However, Aldrich was feeling a bit downtely, struggling with the situation regarding Richards.


    With no first-team matches scheduled, he spent his days training scattered teams or going to the cinema alone, trying to distract himself with movies or reading at home.


    Just as the international break ended and yers were about to return, Andrew called Aldrich, and it lit a fire in him.


    "Has Manchester United contacted you?"


    "It wasn''t me; it was Jaap. They specifically went to the Nethends, took the opportunity to contact him about a transfer while he was with the national team. Jaap just called me to inform me, and to be honest, United''s offer is very generous."


    "I see."


    Aldrich hung up the phone and immediately called Ferguson. Once the line connected, he started shouting into the phone.


    "Alex, Manchester United''s season is over, but Millwall''s isn''t! F**k! Stay away from my yers!"


    "Aldrich..."


    Doot doot doot.


    Aldrich hung up.


    With United''s title defense fading, theirst hope for silverwarey in the Champions League and retaining second ce in the league.


    Ferguson was already starting to n for the summer; it was understandable since many teams began poaching yers before the end of the season.


    However, Aldrich is outraged because he had a gentleman''s agreement with Ferguson, which thetter has decided to ignore, leaving Aldrich feeling betrayed.


    After all, Millwall still had crucial matches in the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners'' Cup to y. If Stam was preupied with transfer talks, it would undoubtedly affect his focus on the pitch.


    Moreover, United might be worried that if Millwall enjoyed significant sess this season, Stam would be reluctant to leave.


    Before they could get their hands on any trophies, they needed to secure an agreement with Stam. Even if Stam had some room to reconsider, he would still have to take his reputation and credibility into ount.


    When the yers returned, Stam approached Aldrich and requested a transfer for the summer.


    Aldrich did not try to hold him back, agreeing to let him leave but required him to remain silent in the media.


    There''s no point in forcing a yer to stay who doesn''t want to. Aldrich had already made an attemptst year, and both teacher and student had made promises. If Stam believed Millwall couldn''tpare to United, Aldrich had no arguments left. If Stam wanted to wear the Red Devils'' jersey, so be it.


    In less than a month, Millwall had lost two important central defenders—one starter and one backup.


    What was once a rich reserve of defenders quickly became just adequate.


    Southgate, El, Materazzi, Ferdinand—if all stayed healthy, the four would certainly be able to cope with whaty ahead.


    In the thirty-third round of the Premier League, Millwall hosted the reigning champions, Manchester United.


    Both teams had Europeanmitments midweek, so they sent out second-string lineups. Millwall had only their absolute starter, Larsson, on the field.


    "It''s strange; Hall doesn''t look too good today. He hasn''t shown any signs of happiness since he stepped onto the pitch. Is he nervous?"


    "Doesn''t seem like it. What does he have to be nervous about? Even if they lose to United at home, what''s it matter? A change from an 14-point lead to 11 still leaves them with a five-point cushion as long as they win just one match. United must win all their games and can''t afford to drop points in their remaining matches."


    "True, but why is he still unhappy? It''s puzzling. Besides, United isn''t fielding a strong lineup today. They seem to be focused on the Champions League semi-final against Dortmund."


    Aldrich didn''t even nce at Ferguson as he entered, walking straight to the bench, crossing his arms in a calm manner, his sharp gaze fixed on the yers in action.


    The fans were in high spirits, with massive banners floating in the south stand, emzoned with images of the Premier League trophy, heralding Millwall''s impending crowning.


    Millwall retained their 4-3-3 formation, but the midfield was configured with one holding midfielder and two attacking midfielders. Gattuso was responsible for breaking up y, Back focused on organizing, and Lampard was inclined to makete runs into the box.


    Larsson and Gronkjaer operated as wingers, with Van Nistelrooy ying as the central forward.


    In Manchester United''s squad, Aldrich recognized some unfamiliar faces, notably the somewhat unfortunate Cruyff Jr., who had made a dazzling start to the season with three goals in three matches but has now been sidelined by a long-term injury. He also spotted Johnson, a fellow countryman of Solskj?r''s, along with several other youth academy yers.


    Manchester United has promoted a greater number of youth academy yers to the first team this season, seeing over 15 yers make appearances for the senior squad, but not one has managed to secure a permanent spot. Ultimately, only a handful from the iconic ss of ''92 have shone through.


    Ferguson seemed to have epted defeat in the league; one of the biggest problems was over-reliance on young yers. Beckham, Giggs, and the Neville brothers were not only starters in the league but also yed every single European and cup match. Their bodies couldn''t cope with the intense schedule, leading to inconsistent performances—dominating when fit, but crumbling away from home against weaker teams.


    Ferguson watched Millwall''s yers on the field, scanning each one, unable to hide his sense of envy.


    Lampard, Back, El, Zambrotta, Van Nistelrooy, Ferdinand—he found it incredible how many talents Millwall had on disy.


    Was Aldrich really capable of transforming waste into wonder?


    This reminded him of an early trip to Barcelona with Sir Bobby Charlton. They were looking to scout some good yers but found themselves leaving with a realization. After watching the Barcelona youth system, Charlton said to Ferguson: "Let''s go—what United needs isn''t just one yer but a youth system like theirs."


    Even though the Red Devils had glory under Busby, their youth system had declined during the club''s troubled years. After Ferguson took over, revitalizing the youth system led to the emergence of the ''ss of ''92''.


    Now, Millwall too had built a remarkable youth system, with investments in youth development that were mind-boggling. The scale of their Leo Youth Academy outshined even the construction of the Lion''s Den stadium and club buildings.


    In the match, Millwall yed with more patience than United. United''s lineup featured many yers who seldom yed, which, while energizing them, also made them a bit impatient on the field.


    Millwall found more and better opportunities during the transitions of attack and defense.


    Back controlled the midfield adeptly—not as shy as Pirlo but stable and effective.


    After Lampard made a forward run, Back passed the ball to him. However, Lampard''s feigned attempt to receive it actually allowed it to slip through—catching the opponent off guard. Just outside the penalty area on the left, Larsson received the ball. This agile striker leaned forward to deceive the United defender, making them believe he would cut inside as Ferguson had emphasized keeping that route guarded.


    But Larsson dribbled across the box. Surprisingly, no United defenders rushed to pressure him; Van Nistelrooy''s movement beautifully drew the defensive attention while Gronkjaer made a run that provided support for Larsson.


    After taking threeteral steps, Larsson set his feet andunched a curling shot that beautifully arched into the bottom corner of the.


    "What a fantastic goal! That''s Larsson''s 33rd goal of the league season!"


    Aldrich sat unmoving in his seat while the coaching staff and yers erupted in excitement, rushing to celebrate.


    If they secured this victory, their point gap with United would widen to 17, allowing them to clinch the Premier League title five rounds early!


    But Aldrich was thinking deeper; Larsson''s goal showcased his individual skills—his ability to read the game, create space, and delivering an exact curling shot from the edge of the box. It was a beautiful execution, the sort of goal that top wingers loved to score by cutting in and firing unexpectedly.


    He had to admit that Nagy''s warningst year was incredibly important.


    Over the past year, Larsson''s skills had been improving, and the scientific training methods only made him better than the Larsson of years past.


    During his time at Celtic, Larsson had been a 30+ goal yer each season, evening back from a broken leg!


    At Millwall, he was developing even faster, bing more excellent, thanks to the coaching staff''s dedication.


    On the opposite side, Gronkjaer was also improving quickly, his breakthrough techniques weren''t new, but his choices and timing were maturing. His shooting, at least, had greatly improved and was far from being reckless.


    After a strong counterattack from United, Millwall struck again with a quick nk attack. Gronkjaer prated into the box, setting up a perfect assist for Van Nistelrooy.


    Millwall went into the break with a 2-0 lead. In the second half, Manchester United couldn''t find their footing. Van Nistelrooy was taken down inside the penalty area by the keeper, van der Gouw, leading the referee to award a penalty kick. Larsson calmly stepped up and buried the penalty, finalizing the score at 3-0.


    This season, Millwall achieved a double victory over the traditional giants of Ennd, securing the Premier League title with five rounds to spare.


    As the match concluded, the fans in the stands were emotional, cheering and celebrating with tears of joy, reluctant to leave.


    The yers and coaches also flooded onto the field to celebrate with excitement.


    Throughout the match, Aldrich remained expressionless. Once the final whistle blew, he got up to approach Ferguson. Before they got close, Ferguson spoke first, "Congrattions on the Premier League title."


    Aldrich''s face remained unchanged as he shook hands with Ferguson before turning to leave.


    But Ferguson frowned and said, "Aldrich, don''t throw a tantrum."


    Aldrich spun around, visibly furious, "This isn''t a tantrum! It''s Manchester United''s tant disrespect towards Millwall! It''s yourck of respect towards me! If you don''t honor our agreement, you shouldn''t have even spoken to me in the first ce!"


    Ferguson''s face turned red with anger as he replied, "Jaap wants to join Manchester United; it''s that simple."


    "Is that your answer? Fine, ￡15 million! I won''t release him for a penny less! Even if you incite my yers into a fuss, I''ll wait until thest day of the transfer window to agree to letting him go!"


    Aldrich said this and stormed down the yer tunnel. He wanted to give his yers and coaching staff time to celebrate, but he felt no urge to join in—it wasn''t over for Millwall yet as there were still tough matches ahead.


    Ferguson''s expression darkened, muttering something under his breath, filled with rage as he left with his Red Devils.


    Fifteen million pounds?


    That was the world record transfer fee fromst year!


    Those were the exact figures Newcastle had paid to snatch Shearer away.


    Was United really willing to drop the same amount on a central defender?