Properly.
Not introductions.
Not greetings.
Football.
Kolo Touré stood near the center circle already blowing his whistle lightly as players spread out across the pitch.
"Alright, let's wake up," the assistant coach called. "Movement first."
The squad naturally broke into warm-up groups.
Lukas found himself jogging beside Gündoğan and Phil Foden while they moved through the opening stretches and mobility drills.
The conversations were casual.
Loose.
Some players complained about the heat.
Others commented on the pitch.
"It's softer than I expected," Foden said while testing the grass under his boots.
"Still better than some preseason pitches," Gündoğan replied calmly.
Nearby, Doku laughed loudly after nearly slipping during one of the turns.
Nico O'Reilly immediately pointed at him.
"Brother, the game hasn't even started yet."
Doku shook his head while laughing. "This American heat is trying to kill me."
Lukas smiled faintly as they continued through the drills.
