Football Manager 2017 is just under a week away!

The latest edition of one of the greatest football games in the world is to be released on Friday, November 4, and is widely anticipated by many in the footballing world.

With numerous new and exciting features, many fans up and down the country will already be thinking about how they can get the best out of their side in a bid to meet the board’s expectations.

Whether it means selling your best player to balance the books, or smashing your club’s record transfer fee, many supporters will have a plan of action as they look to take their team to glory.

However, some fans will want to test themselves on the newest version of the Football Manager series, and may try a few challenges to prove their ability as a top-quality boss.

And, for Derby fans who have seen their team fail in their bid to return to the Premier League, they might fancy taking up one of these THREE challenges on the new game…

Established Premier League team

Like so many sides in the Championship, Derby are striving to reach the Premier League, but haven’t been able to get over the line in recent seasons.

Two play-off heartbreaks and an eighth place in the last three seasons, it’s time for you to take over and get Derby promoted to the top-flight.

With the squad the Rams have got, promotion should happen, so this challenge isn’t just about getting promoted, it’s about staying in the Premier League.

You’ve got five seasons to win promotion and establish Derby as a Premier League side, in the same way that Southampton, Stoke, and West Brom have done in recent times.

Trust in youth

Derby have spent a lot of money in the last few years, but still aren’t any nearer the Premier League.

They spent £24 million in last year’s campaign, and have splashed out £12 million on Matej Vydra this season.

However, your challenge is to abandon this policy of buying out-of-favour Premier League players, and to put your faith in youth.

No more signings over the age of 23, you are going to win promotion within three seasons with a young squad, while promoting many players from the Derby academy.

Any signings you do make have to be from the Championship or further down the Football League pyramid, but you must be in the Premier League in your fourth season – can you do it?

Best club in the Midlands

Very much a long-term project, but it’s time for Derby to become the best in the Midlands, like they were during the 1970s.

Although the Rams are some way behind the likes of Leicester and West Brom at the moment, there is potential there for the East Midlands club to get back into the big time.

Remember, Leicester went from promotion in 2014 to Premier League champions in 2016, so there’s every chance that, if you build a solid side in the early stages of your tenure, you can follow in their footsteps.

However, you’ve got ten years to outdo the other Midlands sides – the money is there, the foundations are there, it just needs a top-quality manager to take them to the next stage.