Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has hailed one of the men of the moment on the managerial circuit in Will Still - and admits his early path into the dugout reminds of his own journey.
Howe was just 31 when he was put in charge of AFC Bournemouth before guiding the Cherries from the brink of relegation to non-league circles and up to the Premier League.
Still is currently in charge of Ligue 1 club Reims and has stabilised the French club on a limited budget and even led them to draws with moneybags Paris St-Germain who had Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe on the team sheet.
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The intriguing thing about Englishman Still, who is just 30, is that his introduction to football came after he spent hours on the computer game Football Manager! Howe, when asked if he'd been inspired by any managerial simulations joked that he perhaps needs to fire up his own FM "save" and put in a few more hours!
When asked about Still's remarkable rise, Howe told Chronicle Live: "He has certainly done very well. It is very difficult to do at that age.
"I started at 31, I felt at that moment I knew what I was doing. I am talking about my own experiences here. I realised a few years later that I probably didn't. I have learned as I have gone on, the whole of range of things you need to be successful as a manager.
"That's just my journey. I'm not sure on Will's background and how he's built his career to this point but very impressive to be managing at his age.
"The success he's had has been incredible. Are managers getting younger? I'm not sure if that's a fact or not. But certainly it is a very demanding job."
Reims are currently being fined £22,000 per game in Ligue 1 as Still does not have a coaching licence yet. Not bad for somebody who spent their childhood experimenting on Football Manager.
When asked if he'd ever been a keen player on FM, Howe quipped: "Maybe I need to go back on and spend some hours!"
But the tone became more serious when Howe recalls how he did end up as a fledging boss of then League Two Bournemouth. Indeed, his own story is almost like a real-life version of the game after he led the Cherries from rock bottom to beating Liverpool and Chelsea.
Howe said: "I've said many times I didn't actually want to be a manager I was asked to do the job. I didn't have a burning desire.
"I was coaching at the time in the Academy and enjoying that with various ages from seven to 16. I was asked, I initially turned it down.
"I was asked again and I did it because I was being asked. Even when I was playing I didn't have that burning desire to be a manager.
"So now I'm in this position it is quite strange to be sat here as a manager for the length of time I have been doing it. There's something gluing me to the job. I really enjoy it and it's strange because it is not necessarily an enjoyable job to do.
"You are not sat there with a massive grin on your face every day. But I think it's the challenge that draws you to it. You are desperate for long-term success."
With Newcastle still pushing for a place in the Champions League this season, the current campaign could also be something from the dream league or fantasy football. After all, Newcastle were fighting relegation just 12 months ago.
Getting it right is something that Howe is desperate to do for the black and whites. Howe said: "I think there's an addiction part to the job.
There are elements that are addictive, the winning, the challenge, every little bit that goes into the job you are trying to get wins. There's something in the heart of the job."
Howe is currently aided by an experienced dressing room with a strong backroom team around him and some senior pros that could go on to be managers. Matt Ritchie, Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn all have the potential to be bosses one day.
Howe said: "I think there are (future managers at NUFC). I have also looked around my dressing room and thought there are future managers.
"Sometimes that has worked out sometimes it hasn't. Players do what they want to do. The demands away from the training ground are so unique that you need to be prepared to devote your life to it. Some people might fall away or some people grasp it, it's a deciding factor."
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