Football Manager 2020 predicts: The future of Crystal Palace’s youth
There are three things certain in life: Death, taxes and Football Manager predicting the next youth sensation. The video game has become renowned for its level of detail and accuracy, and its worldwide scouting network once forecasted the fortunes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kylian Mbappe. More recently, developers signed a deal with sports performance analysts to provide their data to real clubs. Essentially, professional football teams have turned to a video game to help evaluate their next arrival.
And with Crystal Palace likely to field some of their more promising youngsters in the closing games of the season, it proved the perfect opportunity to test how they could turn out via Football Manager. A simulation has been run throughout their careers to see whether they cut it at Selhurst Park or fall into footballing despair.
Sam Woods
While the lifelong Crystal Palace fan didn’t quite make it in South London, Sam Woods did enjoy a stable career. On return from his loan in Scotland, he broke into the first-team and managed 24 league appearances across two seasons. But after an influx of young defenders arrived on loan, Woods was sold to Barnsley for £350,000 and flourished in his two campaigns in the Championship.
Following their relegation to the third tier, he headed Stateside with a £1.4 million move to FC Cincinnati and became a club icon with over 250 appearances in eight years. Woods also took American citizenship and represented the national team three times, before cashing in one final paycheck with a move to Qatari side Al-Kharitiyath. He retired aged 35 and opted against a coaching career.
Nya Kirby
Former U17 World Cup winner Nya Kirby also switched national allegiances during his time away from The Eagles. His Palace career consisted of just 14 cameos from the bench before a mediocre loan spell at Leyton Orient, and he was subsequently released by the newly-appointed Javi Gracia. After considering several options in England, Kirby preferred a move to Australian side Western Sydney Wanderers and it appeared to pay off.
In eight years at the club, he scored 20 goals in 177 games and declared for the national team in his final season. Earning three caps for his adopted country, Kirby then joined Al-Khor in Qatar as a rotation option for three years, before concluding his career with four seasons at Sydney FC.
Scott Banks
One of Crystal Palace’s hottest prospects, Scott Banks enjoyed a journeyman career and netted 100 times across 14 different spells. The midfielder endlessly tried to impress with loans at Charlton Athletic, Coventry City, Doncaster Rovers and MK Dons, and scored 15 times for the latter as they were crowned League One champions. But before he could step out at Selhurst Park, Millwall opted to splash out £8.25 million on the 23-year-old to seal a healthy profit for Palace.
Two years later, he was headhunted by Championship side Huddersfield Town and made his long-awaited international debut shortly after. A loan spell at Bristol City was followed by a move to Sporting Kansas City, and Banks made a name for himself in America with over 250 appearances. However, he would only represent Scotland once more before seeing out his career with a campaign with the New York Cosmos aged 35.
Brandon Pierrick
Despite the hype and expected real-life success, Brandon Pierrick’s virtual career was uninspiring at best. He managed three appearances before being snapped up by Derby County in 2021 for a measly £2.8 million, and spent two seasons in their Under-23s before the club took a loss and sold him to Barnsley for just £350,000.
But still unable to break into the first-team, he dropped to League One in search of regular minutes with Fleetwood Town and scored four goals while featuring in every game of their league campaign. Pierrick still found himself out-of-favour at the end of the season though, and after lengthy but insignificant spells with Chesterfield Town and Exeter City retired at the age of just 32.
Tyrick Mitchell
Tipped as the natural replacement for Patrick van Aanholt, Tyrick Mitchell became a familiar name in the Football League but managed just one appearance for the Eagles. After a loan spell at Leyton Orient, he sealed a permanent move to Barnsley — a side who seemingly appreciated the youth talent emerging from Beckenham — but struggled to make the team even after relegation.
Two-year spells followed with Coventry City, Hull City and Chesterfield Town, before he became a leading figure for League One outfit Wrexham. He later spent three years as a rotation option at AFC Wimbledon before quitting aged 34. Crystal Palace appeared to make the right move in spending £20 million on Arsenal full-back Sead Kolasinac.
Luke Dreher
It seemed that Luke Dreher would be one of the rarities to make his mark on the Crystal Palace side and was a familiar name on the bench during the 2020/21 season. But after 13 appearances in red and blue, the midfielder requested a move in favour of regular football and sealed a £1 million switch to Brisbane Roar. Dreher quickly impressed in the A-League and after two years had drawn interest from leading club Sydney FC. A free transfer followed and he won the league twice in four seasons with the New South Wales side.
Despite being a regular in the squad, Dreher pursued yet another move away and eventually joined UAE side Al-Wasl alongside the likes of Jordan Ibe (Birmingham), Lewis Baker (Chelsea) and Nik Tzanev (AFC Wimbledon). He ended his career with a season in Qatar with Umm-Salal before retiring aged 32.
Nikola Tavares
Another prospect and another player finding his feet in MLS. Despite loan spells at Leyton Orient and Southend United, Nikola Tavares failed to make his Palace debut before being released in 2021. He rejected the advances of local sides in favour of a switch to Spanish club Las Palmas, and made almost 100 appearances before joining Alcorcón for a two-year spell. During his time in Europe, Tavares became a distinguished player for South Africa and was named captain by the age of 23.
He continued to attract interest and in 2026 headed to the United States with a £675,000 transfer to FC Dallas. Playing 119 times for the club, he later earned a move to Mexico and clinched the Campeones Cup and Champions League with Club América before a three-year spell at Cafetaleros. Throughout his career, the defender represented his country an impressive 139 times and was named third in the African Defender of the Year in 2031.
Giovanni McGregor
Things didn’t work out quite so well for Giovanni McGregor, who had to wait until 2027 to make his professional debut. Upon his return from a loan spell with Dartford, he spent one season in the Palace Under-23s before returning to the National League South. He was a mainstay in the Maidenhead United side for five years and made almost 200 appearances while gaining promotion in his first season.
Following relegation, McGregor joined National League side Dulwich Hamlet and continued to impress in his only campaign with the club. He then made his long-awaited jump to the Football League with a move to Oldham Athletic, and after one season saw out his career with Carlisle before retiring aged 32. Despite ambitions to become an assistant manager, McGregor fell away from football.
John-Kymani Gordon
Budding forward John-Kymani Gordon never made a professional appearance but did forge a distinguished career in the non-league circuit. After his release in 2021, Gordon joined seventh-tier Leamington and scored 54 goals in 261 games. Following back-to-back relegations, he joined National League North side St Albans City and scored 16 goals in three years as he suffered another relegation.
In 2031, he joined league rivals Swaffham Town and scored 75 times in seven years while facing one more relegation. He retired aged 35 with ambitions to become a manager but was unable to find a club.
Kevin Gonzalez
Under-18 prodigy Kevin Gonzalez was the final player on the list to depart from Selhurst Park, but after just two league appearances pursued a temporary move to MK Dons. Scoring three times while appearing in every league match of the campaign, he was snapped up permanently by Barnsley (obviously) for £300,000 in 2025.
The Colombian international, who went on to earn 117 caps, spent just one more season in England before joining Sporting Kansas City in May 2026 for an enhanced £475,000. It was here where Gonzalez made his name, spending 12 years with the MLS outfit and scoring 35 goals in over 325 games. He was also reunited with Scott Banks during his spell at the club, but was never able to celebrate silverware during his career.
Elsewhere in Selhurst
The year is 2040 and a lot has changed at Crystal Palace. Steve Parish stepped down in 2023 and Wigan Athletic chairman David Sharpe embarked on a two-year ownership. The club was floated on the stock exchange for over a decade before a Brazilian tycoon picked up the club in 2037 and Selhurst Park has only recently been upgraded to hold an extra 800 fans.
Roy Hodgson’s masterclass came to an end with the conclusion of the 2020/21 campaign, and no manager is yet to remain in the hot seat for more than two seasons. Nuno Espírito Santo, Patrick Vieira and Klaas Jan Huntelaar have all attempted, while José Giménez was given less than a year at the helm. The current manager, a 44-year-old Leroy Sané, is likely to become the first.
After several years of enduring mid-table obscurity, the Eagles were relegated with a 19th placed finish in May 2024. They immediately returned to the top flight with an impressive 100 points and boasted the best attacking and defensive records in the league, but still struggled for that top-half finish once back in the Premier League. The 2031/32 season saw Palace relegated on goal difference, but they immediately bounced back once again in a very strong second tier.
The Eagles finally recorded a top-half finish in 2035 but were back down in the Championship three seasons later. 97 points were enough for another league title at the first time of asking and Palace are now continuing their fight for Premier League survival.
And things do look more promising in the youth department. Stable investments have been made and several players have gone on to feature regularly for Crystal Palace and secure big-money moves elsewhere. Academy graduate Giorgos Mytidis was snapped up by Liverpool for £77 million in 2035 and now finds himself leading the line for Real Madrid. He may be one of only a handful to have won both League Two and the Champions League in their career.
