Looking for some advice on how to develop young players in Football Manager 2023? You’re in the right place.
Choosing to develop young players is a part of Football Manager 2023 that can be easily ignored. Many clubs don’t have the right infrastructure or finances to invest in it, and some managers just aren’t interested in the nitty gritty of it. But if you put time into developing young players correctly, there’s a lot to be gained from it.
Below, we’ve broken down the key information about how to develop young players in Football Manager 2023 into five key headings.
Infrastructure
There is little point in focusing on youth development in Football Manager 2023 if your club isn’t set up for it. To see the state of your club facilities, go to the ‘Club info’ page and click the ‘Facilities’ tab. Look at your training facilities, youth facilities, youth level, junior coaching and youth recruitment.
Often, these will all be in a similar state to each other. However, if one is lagging behind the others, then it’s worth asking your board to address this going forward. If they are all equally underperforming, then you’ll need a lot of boardroom support and the finances necessary to bring them up to par. The facilities don’t have to be perfect, just suitable for your needs.
If you are lacking in regards to junior coaching and youth recruitment, you still can develop young players but your youth intake is likely to be poor. Youth facilities are obviously vital.
Staff
Investing in relevant staff is important in developing young players in Football Manager 2023. There is no point having a decent selection of youngsters with no one to train them. You can find the youth team staff at the bottom of the ‘Staff’ page. Alternatively, you can go to the Development Centre and click on ‘Staff’. Use staff searches to get the best available.
You can ignore youth staff if you are not using youth squads and instead developing a small handful of young talent that trains with the first team. This may be the best option if you lack some facilities as well.
Development Centre
The development centre, accessible by the right of the home page, shows you everything you need to know about your younger players. The overview will give you the summary of your younger players and how they’re progressing. You can look at the individual youth team and their potential and see recommendations from staff.
You can also see how those out on loan are faring and if the loan move has been good for them and their playing ability.
Training
You can choose to go as in depth as you like when you develop young players in Football Manager 2023. By going to ‘Development’ in a player’s profile, you will see what training the player is doing and if they have any particular focuses outside of the usual.
Younger players are more adaptable to developing new positions and they’ll show a better result to specific routines. There is no “best” type of player and you can choose to develop them however you choose. If you aren’t sure, then focusing on a specific role reinforces their ability to carry it out.
By default the youth teams will train to the same tactic you use. You are able to change that if you want to, even controlling the role an individual trains in. If you believe that a player would be better suited if they trained a certain way, then you’re free to change it. While young players are adaptable, some are more than others. Look at the player’s report if you aren’t sure.
The staff page has a section on responsibilities, and on there you can choose how much you delegate to staff and how much micromanagement you want to do. If you are micromanaging you will still need good staff to enact your ideas.
Loans and Playing Time
Young players will only develop so much in a youth system and will need real game time to fully mature. It is hard to judge when to enact this, but by 18 they should be at least considering game time.
If you can, getting the player to play first team football at your club is ideal. You get the benefit of giving them the necessary playing time but you can still dictate their training. However, many players will not get to that level without first playing in a lower league. This is where loans come in.
Loaning players is only good for players that get the game time they deserve. They will also benefit more if they are being played and trained in their chosen position; you can ensure this by locking this in their loan offer.
Club happiness and how well the club is doing is also a factor in development. Take these into consideration when sending a player out on loan.
Ultimately, developing young players in Football Manager 2023 is about having good staff, good facilities and game time. You can choose how they develop and positions they play, but without good staff and facilities they won’t get far.
