THE MATCHDAY ANSWER
Mentoring
Start with a senior player whose influence and behaviour you trust, then add two compatible prospects. Check the group feedback and the youngsters’ development plans. Mentoring belongs alongside coaching and appropriate matches; it cannot replace either.
What is confirmed, and what is advice?
SI’s published desktop explanation is from FM24: it describes groups of at least three and influence shaped by seniority, squad standing and compatibility. We use that as an explicitly older baseline. FM27 influence weights, age cut-offs and time-to-result have not been measured by Touchline.
Reviewed 2 November 2026. Examples are fictional unless stated otherwise. Suggested routines are coaching recommendations, not guaranteed engine rules.
Start with these three decisions
- Open Training and locate the squad’s Mentoring view; check which players are eligible.
- Read personality, current concerns and squad influence before choosing the senior player.
- Create one small group, record a baseline, and review it monthly or after a major squad change.
Choose the person before the reputation
A veteran’s medals tell you about their career. For this job, ask a different question: would you want your youngest signing to copy how this player handles training, setbacks and selection? Treat a worrying personality description or an unresolved behaviour problem as a reason to look elsewhere. A familiar name is not a mentoring qualification.
Use the squad’s hierarchy and relationship information to identify a senior player the group actually recognises. Leadership and a positive personality label are useful clues, but neither should be treated as a complete readout of every hidden characteristic. Keep a short note explaining why you selected this person instead of choosing the oldest player automatically.
Source notes: SI desktop manual: Training & Mentoring · SI desktop manual: Squad, Data Hub & Dynamics
Build your first group in six decisions
Check responsibility
If your assistant manages mentoring, decide whether to take control or review their suggestions. Keep one clear owner so you know who is changing the groups.
Pick a clear senior influence
Choose the best behavioural example among the eligible senior players, not the most expensive contract. Avoid combining several competing senior examples in your first experiment.
Add two prospects with a purpose
Start small enough to follow each player. Write a separate development goal for each prospect. This is our manageable starting structure, not a claim that three members is always optimal in FM27.
Check compatibility and influence feedback
Use the game’s feedback to identify a group that has little useful influence. A matching position can make football habits easier to discuss, but do not impose a same-position rule when a better personality match exists.
Protect their football programme
Check training access and match opportunities separately. Do not promote a youngster into a first-team bench role solely to fill a mentoring slot. Use only the squad movements and match availability options your edition permits.
Record the starting point
Note the date, personality description, relevant traits, visible influence feedback, training plan and planned minutes. This gives you something to compare with the next report.
A fictional group you can audit
Imagine a respected 31-year-old midfielder and two 18-year-old prospects. One youngster needs a better weekly routine; the other already trains well but has football habits you want to monitor. Give both their own individual training plan. Do not assume that the senior player’s Passing, Vision or reputation will be copied into either player.
After a month, compare the group feedback and each prospect’s situation with your notes. If one has moved away on loan, if the senior player is leaving, or if eligibility has changed, rebuild the plan around who is actually present. Keeping the original group name is less important than preserving a useful development environment.
Review the environment, not just the arrows
| When | Check | Possible action |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly glance | Availability, concerns and whether the group still exists as intended. | Resolve an obvious disruption; otherwise keep the arrangement stable. |
| Monthly review | Influence feedback, personality/trait reports, training and minutes. | Keep, adjust or stop the group with a recorded reason. |
| Transfer, loan or staff recommendation | Whether your original assumptions still hold. | Recheck the group without inventing a fixed success deadline. |
The expensive mistakes
- Buying a costly veteran solely for a personality label, then discovering they have little useful influence in your squad.
- Treating Determination or Leadership as a complete substitute for personality and behaviour.
- Regrouping everyone after each weekly report, leaving no stable arrangement to evaluate.
- Crediting mentoring for every attribute rise while ignoring coaching, age, matches and the individual plan.
- Assuming every player trait is desirable for your tactic. A habit that suits one role can conflict with another.
Your next ten minutes
Audit one existing group rather than rebuilding the whole squad. Write down its purpose, the reason for the senior choice and each prospect’s route to matches. If you cannot explain those three things, simplify the arrangement. Then connect the mentoring plan to the individual training guide below.
EVIDENCE BEHIND THE ADVICE
Sources & edition notes
Official FM27 announcements establish current changes. Earlier manuals are labelled by edition and provide background, rather than proof that old menus or formulas still apply.
- FM24SI desktop manual: Training & Mentoring
Older desktop baseline for group influence and individual workload; not an FM27 formula or menu reference.
- FM24SI desktop manual: Squad, Data Hub & Dynamics
Earlier-edition reference for hierarchy, relationships and analytical workflows. Older click paths are not FM27 instructions.
- FM26Official Dugout tutorial: Youth Development in FM26
Earlier-edition background on development plans, phase-specific role work and playing opportunities.
- FM27SI: FM27 Navigation Upgrades
Current primary menus and control panels. Exact controls can differ by edition and layout.