Leon spent the mornings in his new, still mostly unpacked house, helping his mother with her grand "Garden Rescue Operation," which mostly involved him digging holes and her telling him he was doing it wrong.
He spent his afternoons with Sofia, exploring the hidden corners of Liverpool, discovering little bookstores and quiet parks.
And he spent his evenings on video calls with Byon, who was with the Man City squad on a promotional tour in Japan, complaining about the price of melons.
On a bright, cool, windswept Tuesday morning, he found himself walking along the beach at Crosby, a vast, beautiful expanse of sand just north of the city.
He had his baseball cap pulled down low, a pair of sunglasses on, and for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, nobody knew who he was.
As he walked, his mind, now free from the immediate pressure of an upcoming match, began to wander.
