Player Potential

Although I've been a regular player of CM/FM for about 10 years now, have only just joined this site to pick up a few tips from you pro's

FM11, I'm currently Rotherham United and I'm in the Premiership. For my second season in the top tier, I've just splashed the cash on a young centre back who has a PA of 3.0 but potential of 4.5. My scout is the best of the best for spotting talent so I completely trusted him on this one.

I've read through the forums and understand that players ratings can go down if your team improves, but I'm looking for some advice on how to make the most of this player's potential? Any sorts of training schedules that I can put him on, or is it just a case of him performing in matches?

Cheers!

A CA of 3 is definitely ready for the first-team (or subs bench at the very least).

If you've no room to fit him in the first 18, you could try loaning him out to a team that will guarantee he will be a "valuable member of the first team".

Or make room for him by selling any higher-earning or older centre backs of a similar pedigree.

Also, see if any experienced defender will consider tutoring him (assuming he is able to be tutored - sometimes youngsters are too good to be tutored)

Yeah, I'm planning on him being a first team starter this year, so I'm know he'll improve on the pitch. I never thought about tutoring him though. In yours or anyone elses experience, do different training schedules seem to work for these young boys?

I do have my custom training schedule for centre-backs, but age doesn't matter to me. I'll train my older ones the same as the younger ones.

If you can get his central defensive partner to tutor him, that'd be ideal.

It is a problem developing youngsters at small clubs. The reason for this is that he is unlikely to be available for tutoring because talented youngsters in lower leagues tend to have at least as high reputation as the older players in the club, and often have a higher or equally high squad status.

It is also unlikely that you have a 4* or better coach setup and training facilities.

This means that all you can hope for is that he develops nicely just by getting first team experience.

Yeah, off the top of my head, I can't really think of anyone in the team that would be a good tutor for him, although I might go find an experienced centre back in the Bosmans, think I saw Vidic kicking about.....

And although I have developed training facilities at the club, they're not near 4*, so it looks like first team may be the way forward!