For context, the next-richest team in the league is Crystal Palace, with a budget of £22 million. With a budget north of £50 million, they are comfortably the Premier League’s richest team in terms of starting finances in FM21 and already have a talented squad. If you just want a team that are rich and have considerably more money at the start of any game save than their nearest rivals, then United are the team for you. Top tip: It’s probably worth loaning out Ilaix Moriba in your first season to help his growth, as a season of first-team football may do more for him than bench-warming at the Nou Camp or making the odd appearance in the Copa del Rey. Now we’ve got the negatives out the way, the positives include nurturing Ansu Fati, Pedri and Jean-Clair Todibo into world-class talents, developing their famed La Masia academy, getting the best from Frenkie de Jong and seeing what becomes of Francisco Trincao, Ilaix Moriba and Sergino Dest, three players listed as having four-and-a-half-star potential. In Football Manager terms, all of this might constitute a red flag. Lionel Messi has just a year left on his contract, the squad is ageing, recruits are needed, there isn’t much of a transfer budget and two of the club’s most expensive ever signings, Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho, are approaching 30. On top of that, we’ve also added a top tip for every team listed to help you get the ball rolling. One indicates an easy job, whereas a score of five out of five suggests you have a tough task on your hands.

Here at The Athletic, we’ve put together a selection of the best teams to manage in Football Manager 2021, listed below in terms of difficulty, which is ranked out of five.

Football manager 2021 best tactics