Play a hot prospect in U18 or Reserves?

I've got a great talent coming through my ranks. He's only just 16 but not ready for 1st team action. Where would you play him?

Play him in the under 18s for now , and if he puts in some good preformances , stick him in a few reserve games .

If you don't have a big reserve team play him in U18's and if the reserve team needs more players they will take the best players from your U18's squad. This is what i did with Bojan in fm 2007 and he ripped up the U18 games and still made the starting reserve side (alongside Fowler, now thats an impressive attack!)

leave him in u18's for now. as charlo116 says, reserves will take players from the u18's if theydont have a big enough squad. what i tend to do is, as soon as they hit 17 andget on professional terms, then they go up into the reserves squad, to get on full-time training asap

Problem with either of these teams (U18 and reserves) is that the level of games is rather poor. I notice that a player in these teams rarely improves much but playing him in your first team will handicap your results.

When he gets to 17, send him out on loan. Get an affiliate club in League 2 or a lower league side and send him out to them

Or just 'Offer to clubs' on loan

When he turns 17 get him on a full time contract.

Then stick him in the Reserves at least and he will at least be training full-time.

I like to loan hot prospects out but make sure that he is featuring regularly and also that he is at a club that is professional so that he will be training full time.

In the short term, (before he turns 17), just leave him in the U18's unless you have an easy senior game where you might plagy him on the bench.

With the offers many clubs fail to come in for a player...