Our FM22 Simulation had a familiar face back in the Deepdale dugout for the 2024/25 seasonOur FM22 Simulation had a familiar face back in the Deepdale dugout for the 2024/25 season
Our FM22 Simulation had a familiar face back in the Deepdale dugout for the 2024/25 season

Preston North End's unrecognisable £60 million starting XI and stunning manger choice for opening game of 2024/25 - according to Football Manager 22

It’s been a slow start to the 2021/22 EFL Championship season for Frankie McAvoy’s Preston North End who have won just six of their opening 20 matches.

The Lillywhites find themselves in the crowded mid-ground of the 24 team table where they are just nine points above the relegation zone and only eight points away from the play-off places.

What will the next three seasons look like for North End? Who will they sign and where will they be at the star of the 2024/25 campaign? Just for fun we simulated the next three years in Football Manager 22 to take a look.

The football management simulation game has been wildly popular since it’s initial release in 1992 and is now played by football fans and professional players alike.

‘FM’ is also used as a player database by football clubs due to their worldwide scouting network of around 1,300 scouts which developers use to ensure full accuracy across the game.

The full version of Football Manager 22 was released on November 9th.

In our simulation, there’s been little to shout about for Preston who have maintained their posistion in the Championship without ever really getting close to promotion.

They ended the 2021/22 season in 16th place, moved up two places to 14th in the 2022/23 campaign before dropping back down to 16th again at the end of 2023/24.

However, they have assembled a strong squad for the 2024/25 season and brought back one of English Football’s greatest managers to his first club to help them progress.

Here is how our simulation had Preston North End lining up for the opening game of the 2024/25 season: