The new Football Manager game is almost upon us.

On Friday November 4, Football Manager 2017 is released in the UK, and it is sure to be one of the best football games yet.

With many new and exciting features for fans to try out, many will already be thinking about how best they can improve their side so they can succeed in their respective divisions.

Whether that means selling first team players to make room for others, or to promote young players into the senior side, the gameplayers will have a number of key decisions to make on how best to take their team to glory.

However, some fans may want to take on some difficult challenges to prove that they are a top-quality manager and, if you’re an Aston Villa fan, those challenges could be tough given the current position of the club.

Their disastrous Premier League campaign last time out means that they have entered one of the most competitive leagues in Europe, the Championship, and getting out of it won’t be easy.

Nevertheless, here are THREE challenges Villa fans should take up on the new game…

Win promotion in your first season

The best time to win promotion back to the Premier League is in your first season in the Championship, and that’s what you’ll embark on when you take over at Villa.

The Championship gets more difficult every season, with the calibre of teams coming down from the top-flight and up from League One getting better year on year, so an immediate return is essential for any relegated side.

In reality, Villa are already on to their second manager of the season in Steve Bruce, which proves how tough and ruthless the division is.

For you though, although it might appear to be a straight-forward challenge, winning promotion in your first season at Villa Park is anything but easy.

Establish Villa in the top-flight

The likes of Southampton, Stoke, and to a lesser extent Swansea have proved that you can flourish in the Premier League if you have got the right people and the stability at the club.

There’s no reason that you can’t do this at Villa.

A lot of work needs doing at Villa Park after last season’s Premier League horrow show, yet in this challenge you have got six years to establish Villa in the top half of the Premier League.

You don’t necessarily have to get promoted in your first season – you might even find it beneficial to spend more time in the second tier to build a top-quality side – but remember that you haven’t got loads of time to get Villa back in the top-half.

Bring European football to Villa Park

For the more adventurous Villa fans, some may see a return to European football as a genuine objective, so this is a challenge you should take on.

It was only six years ago that Villa recorded a third successive sixth place finish in the Premier League, in turn qualifying for the Europa League play-off round, which is a far cry away from where the club is now.

However, in eight seasons, you have to bring European football back to Villa Park by finishing in the Premier League top six.