Pre-season. It's the time of year every academy player does his best to show that he's worthy of a call up to the first team, worthy of the biggest stages, the brightest lights. New ownership, new management, and Callum's a hard worker, he knows he's worth the minutes on the pitch. He's no guaranteed starter, not yet, but to be the best you need to train with the best, so he's working his hardest now.
Yes, that includes a bit of messing around in warm-ups with some of his fellow academy players, the lads he's captained since before they were fourteen, and there's giggling involved, but they play football. For a living. It's fun. They're lucky.
Until the gaffer stops that fun in its tracks. "Oh - no, no, we're just... having a laugh... not about you, of course, just- just about me. And my girlfriend. That's all, Coach."
@fantasywritten's nate for callum from here !