Do players in the reserves play games?

[DarJ]

I was wandering if it's better to keep a young player in the first team without playing him or in the reserve if I can't loan them out or give them game time in my team 

[veerus]

1 hour ago, DarJ said:

I was wandering if it's better to keep a young player in the first team without playing him or in the reserve if I can't loan them out or give them game time in my team 

In the past, SI has said that the game simulates matches in the background for players in the reserve team so that's likely the more optimal solution.  Would be nice to have it confirmed if that's still the case though...

[DarJ]

6 hours ago, veerus said:

In the past, SI has said that the game simulates matches in the background for players in the reserve team so that's likely the more optimal solution.  Would be nice to have it confirmed if that's still the case though...

That's why I asked because in previous years I didn't notice any difference

[Jamie King]

On 11/18/2017 at 19:59, veerus said:

In the past, SI has said that the game simulates matches in the background for players in the reserve team so that's likely the more optimal solution.  Would be nice to have it confirmed if that's still the case though...

Yes, this is still the case.

Players will still develop as part of the reserve team, but will generally develop better if they're playing competitive matches at a level that suits their ability. If you are sending them out on loan, it's worth considering the standard of the other teams training facilities, too.