Developing young players is one of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of FIFA 22 Career Mode. If you play your cards right, you can end up with a superstar that will be the foundation of your dynasty.
However, it’s not always easy to improve players – so many things need to go just right if you want to see your players succeeding and developing on a steady basis. From training to development and playing time, you need to know how to develop players in FIFA 22 Career mode to make the most out of your young talents.
Here is how to improve players in FIFA 22 Career Mode.
Identify the Players With High Potential
The first thing you need to know is how to recognize which players actually have a shot of reaching the ceiling you want them to reach. You can’t really see their expected potential anywhere, at least not expressed in anticipated overall ratings.
There is one thing you can do, though. Head to your Squad Hub and select the player you’re interested in. On the right, you’ll see the player’s general potential as a statement by your staff. For young players, these statements can be used to understand how high they can go in terms of their OVR.
It’s generally accepted that these statements suggest these ratings:
- “Joined club in 20xy”: the player’s ceiling is under 80 OVR
- “Showing great potential in FIFA 22”: 80-84 OVR
- “An exciting prospect”: 85-89 OVR
- “Has potential to be special”: 90+ OVR
So, if you can’t decide which players to give more playing time and develop, go to your Squad Hub and check these things out. The best young players and wonderkids in FIFA 22 will usually have at least “an exciting prospect” as their description.
Use Player Development Plans
One of the best ways to develop young players in FIFA 22 is to micromanage their progress through Development Plans.
This section is sort of a hub for FIFA 22 player development – you can see how each player is progressing, which of his attributes are being upgraded, and how close he is to increasing his OVR.
Development Plans will essentially allow you to focus on developing specific skills and attributes rather than letting all skills be developed at the same rate. For example, if you have a quick left-winger, you might want to select “Inside Forward” as his FIFA 22 development plan to accentuate his speed and finishing.
The arrows next to each attribute will tell you how quickly said attribute is being upgraded. Green arrows mean fast progress, yellow arrows mean mediocre progress, and red minuses signify that the development isn’t going as planned. This is usually due to a lack of playing time or bad form.
Give Your Players Enough Minutes
No matter how much attention you give to Development plans, training, or player chats, giving your player minutes on the field will have the most dramatic effect on his development.
Trust your young talents to become a starter and give them the chance to prove themselves. It’s not just about minutes, either – starting games will do much more for their development than coming in from the bench, even if they play the same minutes.
If you’re still not confident enough in your young players’ production, you can always give them chances in cup competitions and less important league fixtures. Just remember that some sort of consistency will go a long way towards helping their progress. If you can’t give them the minutes they need, loan them out for a season. They’ll most certainly gain some match experience and come back a better player.
Keep Their Match Sharpness, Morale, and Form High
If you do decide do play your youngsters consistently, do your best to keep them in form.
Player form is one of the most important factors in development. You’ll notice that, as soon as your player starts performing better, his development will speed up and he’ll start progressing quicker. It actually says so right in their Development Plan – in the upper left corner, you’ll see their progress bar and a statement below that directly relates their form to their development.
Match Sharpness and Morale are important for all players, especially the youngsters. Both of these factors can directly impact player grades, sometimes to a great extent. Below, we have a player in great form, with high sharpness and morale. Take a look at his attribute boosts, he’s got +7 Dribbling and +5 Pace.
Since developing players usually start with lower ratings, any kind of boost will make them much more playable and effective.
Increasing Match Sharpness is a matter of training and minutes played so you can simply prioritize your developing players in drills and, as mentioned, give them consistent playing time to keep them fresh. Increasing team morale in FIFA 22 is much easier and it mostly consists of keeping the player happy by giving him starts, handling his wage, and giving optimistic pep talks and press conferences.
Final Word
Having a young talent in your squad is something you shouldn’t let go to waste. You need to make sure you maximize his potential and give him the playing time he needs to develop into a superstar.
Check the player description in your Squad Hub, choose the players that have great upside, and take a hands-on approach when it comes to their development. Give them starts, keep them happy, and keep their Match Sharpness up to maximize their form and attributes.
Combine this with a good FIFA 22 Career Mode development Plan and you can improve your players with ease.
