I screwed up on this myself in my first few seasons. To be fair you get a warning when you start building the youth academy.

There is a whole other thread about whether youth players are worth it. I vote yes.

Team 1 2nd in the league.
Team 2, top with a MASSIVE GD.

Youth players, freebies, old men, 3 stars, even the odd 2 star in the squad.

Ignore the 5 star scout snobs!