Reserve manager not playing first team players who are available

[N3XUS12]

Hey there, I just have a question regarding reserve games.

I have 4 or 5 players in my first team who do not make the starting 11, so I choose to make them available for reserves for 90 minutes, and every time I do it the reserve manage only chooses one or two of them to play, regardless of the fact that the players who are made available are of far higher quality than the people he picks over them. For example as Hartlepool I made Charlie Wyke available for 90 minutes and the reserve manager decided to play an under 18s kid instead, despite Charlie being available and fit to play.

Is there any conditions required for players to be available for reserve games? It happens almost every reserve game and it ruins the fitness of the players who don't get first 11 action. Thanks

 

[N3XUS12]

Anyone got any info on this?

 

[Spleen]

There is no reserves league in English football anymore. It has been replaced with an under-21 league (officially the Professional Development League), which allows three over-21 outfield players in each squad, plus an over-21 goalkeeper. Most of the English teams that FM still refers to as 'Reserves' should more properly be called 'U21'.

That doesn't totally explain why your reserve manager is selecting 1 or 2 players when he can choose 3 - unless he is also putting 1 or 2 on the bench? But regardless, you can't have all your reserves playing in the reserve team week in week out anymore (unless they're under 21). The 'three overage players' rule still allows you to use the U21 side to bring long-term injured players back to fitness, but you can't rely on it for maintaining the fitness of unused players.

And to be honest, I don't think you ever could - I always find that players will still lose fitness playing reserves games if they're not getting any first team football. If you want a backup player to stay fit, loan him out with a recall clause.