THE BEST FOOTBALL MANAGER 2022 HEAD OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FOR 5-STAR YOUTH INTAKES
SOME OF THE BEST ACADEMY DIRECTORS TO APPOINT IN FM22
We cover youth football and we love Football Manager. On this page, we’ve compiled some of the best directors of football in FM22 that are relatively attainable at the start of the game. Now’s your chance to pick up the iconic Luís Campos!
OUR LISTS OF THE BEST YOUNG TALENTS
WATCH: 5 young players you should sign in FM22
WHAT DOES A HEAD OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT DO IN FOOTBALL MANAGER 2022?
Bringing through youngsters is obviously one of the most satisfying aspects of playing FM, and your HoYD will be an important cog in setting these talents on a path to success; from recruitment until their introduction into the first team.
Through this process, they will bring you reports on the ongoing development of your youth players, ensuring you know which prospects are approaching first team level, including updates on their current ability and potential ability.
Your head of youth development will also let you know which players are struggling and ‘need attention’ as well as which players are ‘ones to watch’ even if they aren’t yet ready for senior football.
LAST UPDATED: MARCH 18, 2022
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WHAT ATTRIBUTES ARE IMPORTANT FOR A HEAD OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN FM22?
The head of youth development is one of the most complex staff roles in the game. Some of the key attributes are, but are not limited to:
- Judging player ability
- Judging player potential
- Working with youngsters
- Personality
- Tactical style
- Preferred formation
- Playing style
- Mental attributes (motivating, level of discipline, determination)
The first three items are the most important, allowing them to accurately assess as well as work alongside your wonderkids. However, the other aspects are crucial as well.
The HoYDs personality (model citizen is the best, followed by perfectionist) has a tendency to impact the personality of newgens your club recruits. Likewise, the preferred formation will effect what positions your newgens are likely to play. The tactical style and playing style will determine how the academy moulds these regens.
And lastly, the world knowledge of your head of youth development will impact on what country your regens are likely to be recruited from – it is ideal for your HoYD to have knowledge of countries with strong development ratings, like Brazil, Argentina, Germany, France, Spain, England, etc.
WHAT IMPACTS THE QUALITY OF YOUTH INTAKES IN FM22?
One of the most important things that determines the quality of your youth intakes in FM22 is pure luck. But in terms of things you can control, here is the list:
- Youth recruitment rating
- Youth facilities
- Junior coaching
- Club reputation
All of those should be fairly self-explanatory, better training facilities and coaching equals better development, etc. Your club’s reputation being higher will help you attract higher reputation newgens to your youth squad. Without further ado, here is our list of the best heads of youth development in FM22.
JOCHEN SAUER
CURRENT JOB
BAYERN MÜNCHEN
EXPECTED WAGES
€7,000 p/w
PERSONALITY
MODEL PRO
REPUTATION
Tempting Jochen Sauer to leave Bayern is probably not going to be possible unless you are starting with a big club, but he might be someone to work towards later in your save. But with a reasonable wage and elite level attributes and a good personality type, as well as strong knowledge of Austria and Germany from his time at Bayern, Red Bull Salzburg, Wolfsburg and Hertha BSC, he is a worthwhile target as you progress through your save.
VOLKER KERSTING
CURRENT JOB
1. FSV MAINZ 05
EXPECTED WAGES
€6,000 p/w
PERSONALITY
RESOLUTE
REPUTATION
Volker Kerstingis is a great entry-level HoYD option. His defensive tactical style may be a bit of a turn off, but his low reputation and affordable wage go some way to counter-balancing that. His resolute personality is quite good as well, and pairs nicely with his excellent scouting and working with youngsters attributes. The €250,000 compensation fee owed to Mainz should be the only minor impediment.
STEPHANE ROCHE
CURRENT JOB
UNEMPLOYED
EXPECTED WAGES
€6,500 p/w
PERSONALITY
RESOLUTE
REPUTATION
After almost two decades with Lyon and a few years with Paris Saint-Germain in various youth coaching roles, Stephane Roche looks like a solid and very affordable free agent option. His preference for the popular 4-3-3 DM is another tick, alongside his resolute reputation and general scouting attributes. He could be a solid assistant manager or coach too.
MAURIZIO COSTANZI
CURRENT JOB
ATALANTA BC
EXPECTED WAGES
€7,500 p/w
PERSONALITY
PERFECTIONIST
REPUTATION
Maurizio Costanzi has been Atalanta’s head of youth development for 7 years now, and if you play route one football, he might be your man. While his tactical preference for direct play is not ideal, his perfectionist personality, preferred formation, and overall attributes are strong. The hefty compensation fee to poach him from Atalanta is a bit of a turnoff though.
ANDREA MASCARA (DAVIDE LODDO)
CURRENT JOB
ZEBRE (JUVENTUS)
EXPECTED WAGES
€1,500 p/w
PERSONALITY
MODEL PRO
REPUTATION
Davide Loddo, whose codename in the game is Andrea Mascara, looks very overpowered. His model professional personality type is probably the worst attribute of his skillset, that could see him moulded into either an excellent coach or assistant manager. His preferred possession based approach is also a big plus. The only downside is the difficulty in poaching him from Juventus, but if you can, he is a very affordable and high quality option.
ARIEL PAOLOROSSI
CURRENT JOB
COLO COLO
EXPECTED WAGES
€2,200 p/w
PERSONALITY
FAIRLY DETERMINED
REPUTATION
It would not be Football Manager without including a solid South American option. Ariel Paolorossi has full world knowledge of Argentina, which is a massive bonus. Then add to that his strong fundamental attributes, vertical tiki-taka style coaching style, fairly determined personality, and there’s a top HoYD waiting to be signed at an affordable cost if you can convince him to leave South America for Europe (unless you are doing a South American save of course).
WHAT DOES A HEAD OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT DO IN FOOTBALL MANAGER 2022?
Essentially, a Head of Youth Development directs your academy and can assume multiple different responsibilities.
While their prime function is to coordinate your academy’s youth intake, bringing in newgens, they can also handle training (on a team and individual level) and perform key roles in terms of talent assessment and retention.
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTES FOR A HEAD OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN FOOTBALL MANAGER 2022?
The three key attributes for a Head of Youth Development are Judging Player Potential and Working with Youngsters. If you find a Head of Youth Development with high ratings for those, they will be decent. There are other crucial factors, like their personality and tactical style, which define the details of the young players they bring through.
HOW DO I DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITIES TO A HEAD OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN FOOTBALL MANAGER 2022?
In the staff section, under the responsibilities tab, you will be able to delegate tasks to your director of football. Be mindful of what tasks you do allocate to them and whether they are the best person for the job, or whether the task would be better suited to another staff member.
WHAT RESPONSIBILITIES SHOULD I DELEGATE TO MY HEAD OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN FOOTBALL MANAGER 2022?
This all depends on how much control you want to have over every aspect of the club. If you want a quicker Football Manager experience, get your Head of Youth Development to handle training (team and individual) of your underage group players.
Jochen Sauer at Bayern München is one, Maurizio Costanzi at Atalanta is another. As always, the very best will already be employed by big clubs – but there are a few gems that are unemployed as well.
Make the most of the staff search tool, where you can specify your searches to suits your specific needs. Set the minimum judgning ability/potential attributes to 17 tio find some of the best scouts in the game.
