How best to save a players career?

[crestofadave]

Hey, just looking for some thoughts on how the best way to develop a player.

To give a brief history, I'm managing Man Utd, year is Mar 2017. Since taken over I've focused on young players, developing them and easing out the old boys. Couple of years ago I went to sign Gabriel Barbosa from Santos. As the deal was being finalized he tore his cruciates, failed the medical and that was the end of it. I kept an eye on him and the next summer as he had returned to fitness I decided to go again. I signed him (£20m with a lot of it conditions based), but decided to loan him back to Santos until the "end of the season". Big mistake.

Santos, for whatever reason, barely played him. That was the summer of 2015 and for some reason (I believe due to different league periods between England and Brazil) he only actually finished his loan 18 months later in January 2017. Over the course of that period I think he made about 10 starts at most. I tried a few times to recall him, but I couldn't.

I gave him a few games, starts and off the bench and he was truly awful. Ratings between 5.8 and 6.2 were the highlight. Towards the end of the January transfer window Genoa made a loan bid (even though he wasn't set available for loan). Knowing his first team opportunities would be slim (especially if he played this poorly) I accepted the loan on the condition that he had to be a key player. Low and behold, two months later and he's had one start and a few sub appearances.

My coaches still think he can be a 5 star player but he is 20 now and I don't know what the best route to go is to save him. Keep him in the first team with limited appearances? Try another loan? Or just give up, try and sell with a buy back clause?

Any ideas? Really want to see the guy make it.

[mg539]

The easy option is another loan but imo it's such a lottery that there's a decent chance it will end up like the others.

Being 20 he's still eligible for the U21s so if you want to take a chance on him I would keep him, meaning he has access to your top training facilities and coaches, then play him in U21 games to at least keep his match fitness up. Of course this strategy means you'll have to risk playing him in a few first team games to keep him happy/developing where he might fail to make an impact but at least it's under your control.

If after another season he still hasn't improved then maybe sell but at least you'll know you've given him a chance, just that his luck's out in your save.