The Best Young Players in Football Manager 2015

Top 5 FM15 Wonderkid Goalkeepers

Ruben Blanco (Celta Vigo)

First up here we’re going to be taking a look at Spanish goalkeeper Ruben Blanco, a player that has come up through the Celta Vigo youth team and progressed on to the first team at the Spanish side. 19 years old, Ruben Blanco is an exciting young player and his talents have already been recognised at youth level for Spain where he has so far played for the U16, U17, U19 and U20 sides. Blanco is definitely a keeper to watch out for in the future in reality, and if you decide to sign him up in Football Manager 2015 then it’s well worth keeping a keen eye on him there as well as if you develop him the right way then you may just have your future goalkeeper sorted.

Stole Dimitrievski (Granada)

At 20 years old, young Macedonian goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski has developed through the youth ranks as an international and has also played for clubs in two of the best leagues in the world, playing for both Udinese and Granada. Dimitrievski is an incredibly talented young goalkeeper, and if you’re looking to develop someone for the future within the game then Dimitrievski is a good player to sign up that should be happy to be a backup goalkeeper for your club, with the hope of developing to become a first team regular in the future.

Stefanos Kapino (Mainz)

Greek international Stefanos Kapino is a young goalkeeper that looks to have a huge career ahead of him in football. Although just 20 years old, Kapino has already been capped at full international level for Greece, having established himself strongly for Panathinaikos in the 2013-14 season. Kapino moved to Germany with Mainz in the summer of 2014 and it’ll be interesting to see what the future has in store for the young player as he continues to progress, develop and improve as he gets used to life in the Bundesliga with Mainz.

Simone Scuffet (Udinese)

An incredibly promising young goalkeeper in reality, Udinese’s Simone Scuffet is most definitely a player well worth taking a look at in Football Manager 2015. Scuffet came through the Udinese youth academy and has gone on to play for the Udinese first team as well as progressing through the Italian youth international ranks with the U17 and U18s. Scuffet is also a fantastic player to take a look at in FIFA 15 career mode, so both major football video games seem to be in agreement about this young player’s potential; Scuffet is probably the biggest young goalkeeping talent in the world right now and this is therefore reflecfted in both Football Manager 2015 and FIFA 15. Pick up Simone Scuffet in Football Manager 2015 and you should have your first choice keeper sorted for the entirety of the save. Scuffet is just 18 years old but already looks to be an absolutely incredible talent and should surely continue to progress and improve massively in the future.

Mickey Van der Hart (Ajax)

Sounding every bit like a world class goalkeeper with a name like Mickey Van der Hart, this young Ajax academy player is a young goalkeeper definitely well worth taking a look at in Football Manager 2015. Having risen up through the ranks of the Ajax youth system, Mickey Van der Hart is now learning his trade out on loan to Go Ahead, enhancing his reputation as a young Dutch goalkeeper with a huge career potentially laying ahead of him in football. Mickey Van der Hart is a young player well worth taking a look at in FM15.

Top 10 FM15 Wonderkid Defenders

Callum Chambers (Arsenal)

Southampton has been a huge hot pot of talent in recent years, with numerous young players progressing through the ranks at the club such as Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to name but a few. Callum Chambers is one of the many talents to have come through the Southampton academy in recent years, going on to sign for Arsenal for a significant fee in summer 2014 as there was a mass exodus from the Hampshire based club. Chambers played fairly regularly for Southampton in the 2013-14 season, since joining Arsenal he has become an ever-present player, however, quickly establishing himself at the club and even earning himself some caps as a full England international. Callum Chambers’ rise to prominence has been an incredibly quick one, it’s definitely worth taking a look at him in FM15 though and if you’re willing to wait a while for his services due to his only just having joined Arsenal, Chambers is a young defender well worth keeping an eye on and monitoring his progression and availability in the future.

Doria (Olympique Marseille)

For the last few years, Brazilian centre back Doria has been one of my very favourite young defenders to pick up within the game. Having previously played for Botafogo in Brazil, Doria could be snapped up and brought over to Europe, instantly settling in his new league and immediately having a huge impact as a very commanding young centre back. In FM15 it won’t be so easy to sign Doria as he’s only just recently joined Olympique Marseille in Ligue 1, it’s definitely well worth keeping an eye on him and seeing how he develops, however, as if previous games in the Football Manager series are anything to go by then Doria should develop to become one of the very best centre back’s in world football.

Matthias Ginter (Borussia Dortmund)

At just 20 years of age, Borussia Dortmund’s Matthias Ginter is already a World Cup winner and looks to have a huge career ahead of him in football. Ginter didn’t actually play for Germany at all at the World Cup, he was in the squad, however, therefore picking up a medal as a member of the 23 man squad. Prior to the World Cup, Matthias Ginter was at SC Freiburg, he transferred to Dortmund in the summer though and this therefore means that you probably won’t be able to pick him up at the start of the game. Ginter may not be available right from the beginning of FM15, definitely regularly scout him though as if he does end up becoming available in the future then he’d certainly be a very worthwhile investment.

Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao)

Although originally from France, Aymeric Laporte has been with Spanish side Athletic Bilbao since 2010, originally joining the club’s youth academy and then ultimately progressing his way up to the main squad. A regular French Under-21 international, Aymeric Laporte has been linked with a move to Manchester United, and with a 27.5 million Euro release clause in his contract, it may only be a matter of time before Aymeric Laporte ends up leaving Athletic Bilbao and moving on to pastures new. Aymeric Laporte is a young centre back well worth taking a look at in Football Manager 2015.

Marquinhos (PSG)

Much like Doria, Marquinhos has been a very impressive young Brazilian centre back in Football Manager for a few years now and is another player definitely well worth keeping an eye on. Unlike Doria, however, Marquinhos has been in Europe for a few years now and has been with PSG since summer 2013, so if you want to sign Marquinhos then you may well be able to do so right from the start of the game. Marquinhos has performed well since joining PSG, has become a Brazilian international and looks to have a fantastic career ahead of him for both club and country; definitely take a look at Marquinhos in FM15 and thoroughly consider signing up this young centre back.

Luke Shaw (Manchester United)

Having had his first taste of first team football at Southampton in 2011, Luke Shaw became a regular for the club in the 2012-13 season after the south coast side’s promotion to the Premier League. Having proven himself with two very solid seasons at Southampton, Luke Shaw moved on to play for Manchester United in summer 2014 and is now renting out the Cheshire home of former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo. Shaw has had a troubled start to his Manchester United career in reality, suffering heavily with injury and therefore not getting as much first team football at his new club as he probably would have liked, he’s only 19 years old though and looks to have a fantastic career ahead of him; Shaw has already started to establish himself with England, and with his Manchester United career starting to take shape as well, Luke Shaw could well be a very important player in the future for both club and country. As he only moved to Manchester United in summer 2014 for a fee of £30 million, it’ll probably be pretty difficult to sign him up at the start of Football Manager 2015, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on him and seeing how things progress though as if you do find in the future that you are able to prize him away from Manchester United then I’d definitely have to say that it’s well worth doing so.

John Souttar (Dundee United)

Still only 18 years old, John Souttar came up through the Dundee United youth system and the young centre back looks to have an absolutely fantastic career ahead of him in football. Having seen the likes of Ryan Gauld and Andrew Robertson move on from the club in the summer transfer window who are also all very impressive players to pick up in Football Manager, John Souttar still remains at the Scottish side and is therefore the most realistic signing of the three in Football Manager 2015, a young Scottish player that you should be able to pick up fairly cheaply at the start of the game.

John Stones (Everton)

Having joined Everton from Barnsley in January 2013, John Stones has gone from strength to strength since joining the Liverpool based club, earning a number of England caps under Roy Hodgson and becoming a regular in the Everton team. Stones is still only 20 years of age, he’s accomplished a lot in the last 18 months, however, rising from playing for a struggling Championship club to playing for a very impressive top flight team. John Stones is a young English talent well worth checking out in Football Manager 2015.

Jesus Vallejo (Zaragoza)

Just 17 years old, Real Zaragoza’s Jesus Vallejo is a young Spanish centre back that looks like an absolutely fantastic prospect for the future. Despite his very young age, Vallejo has already started working his way up through the ranks of the Real Zaragoza first team, also establishing himself as a Spanish youth international in the process. You should be able to pick up Jesus Vallejo pretty cheaply within FM15 at the start, making him a very sound investment as he still has plenty of years of development to come and should be a very solid centre back for you in the future.

Kurt Zouma (Chelsea)

An incredibly strong and powerful young centre half, Kurt Zouma is an awesome looking talent in reality whose in-game potential is also absolutely huge. Having spent three successful seasons in the Saint Etienne first team, Kurt Zouma moved to Chelsea in the summer of 2014 and is now looking to establish himself at Stamford Bridge where he has stiff competition for a first team place from the likes of John Terry, Gary Cahill and fellow youth prospect Nathan Ake. There’s talk that Zouma may be heading out on loan in the January 2015 transfer window in order to gain more first team football, in Football Manager 2015 he is definitely a player to take a look at though and if you sign him up then you should be incredibly impressed with what you find with this talented young beast of a centre back.

Top 10 FM15 Wonderkid Midfielders

Ross Barkley (Everton)

Having risen through the ranks of the Everton youth academy, Ross Barkley really shot to prominence in the 2013-14 season as he started to get a regular game for Everton under Roberto Martinez, becoming a full England international in the process. Barkley went to the 2014 World Cup with England having had a hugely successful season with Everton in reality, and as the 2014-15 season unfolds he continues to impress for both club and country as he carries on making a name for himself as a footballer. Everton are likely to demand quite a high fee for Ross Barkley in Football Manager 2015, if you can manage to sign him up within the game then it’s definitely well worth doing so, however, and if you do manage to sign Everton’s Ross Barkley within the game then he’ll no doubt do a very good job for you.

Ángel Correa (Atlético Madrid)

Although officially an Atlético Madrid player now, Ángel Correa had a very troubled start to his Atlético career as a heart condition was discovered when signing which therefore delayed the move for 6 months until December 13th. Correa is most definitely a player to watch out for in the future in reality, a very talented attack minded player that has a huge amount of pace and skill at his disposal. Ángel Correa is most definitely a player well worth checking out in Football Manager 2015.

Memphis Depay (PSV)

A product of the PSV Eindhoven youth academy, Memphis Depay is a very talented young winger that really announced himself to the world in the summer when he went to the World Cup with the Netherlands. The future definitely looks to be incredibly bright for this young Dutch star in reality, and in FM15 he is also a player well worth investing in. Manchester United have been heavily linked with this talented winger in reality and may well be a future destination for him, right now his focus is the Eredivisie though, attempting to bring the league title back to PSV for the first time since 2008. Memphis Depay is a young Dutch international full of tricks and skills, always looking to outfox a defender with his pace and fancy footwork, and if you do decide to sign him up in Football Manager 2015 then I’m sure you’ll be very impressed with the attacking quality that he has to offer.

Will Hughes (Derby County)

Will Hughes has been an absolutely incredible player in Football Manager for some years now and this is certainly not something that has changed with Football Manager 2015. Hughes remains with Derby County in reality despite having been linked with a move elsewhere for quite some time now, in FM15 you can finally make that move materialise for him, however, taking him to a top Premier League club where he will no doubt flourish. Having played with Hughes in FM many times in the past, I’ve often found that Hughes can immediately make the step up to the top flight and perform well at this level, making him a definite player to have on your radar, regardless of what size of top flight team that you happen to be managing. Hughes really is an absolutely incredible player to invest in within the game and if you’re in need of a new central midfielder then I’d definitely make this young England Under-21 international your first port of call when you enter the transfer target.

Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United)

Adnan Januzaj really rose to prominence in the 2013-14 season by putting in a series of incredibly impressive performances for Manchester United. Starting out the season as a relative unknown, Januzaj soon made himself known to the masses with his performances, becoming one of the best young players in Football Manager 2014 as the game was patched throughout the year and Januzaj rose in strength and ability with each and every update. With Football Manager 2015, Adnan Januzaj is once again a player to take a look at; he’s not been great in the 2014-15 season in reality, in FM15 you can see about restoring him to his solid form of the 2013-14 campaign, however, and if you can persuade Manchester United to part company with this young Belgian wizard then it’s certainly well worth doing as you may just bag yourself a Ballon d’Or candidate of the future.

Mateo Kovacic (Inter Milan)

Already a well established Croatian international at the age of 20, Mateo Kovacic has been with Inter Milan now since February 2013 and is definitely well worth checking out in Football Manager 2015. Kovacic has done extremely well since moving to the Serie A with Inter, adding another element to his game in the 2014-15 season as he has now become a solid goalscorer as well as an all round talented midfielder. Kovacic may not be cheap if you do want to sign him up, but he’s definitely well worth taking a look at anyway.

Lucas Romero (Velez)

Currently playing for Velez in the Argentine Primera Division, Lucas Romero is a fantastic young defensive minded player that can definitely add a bit of grit, steel and determination to your midfield. Lucas Romero was an absolutely wonderful player to sign in Football Manager 2014, one of the very best young midfielders that the game had to offer in fact, and in Football Manager 2015 he is once again a player well worth checking out and scouting. The majority of midfielders listed here are attack minded players that can cause a lot of problems for defences, it’s always useful to have a very solid defensive midfielder in your team though and if you’re looking for someone that will never shirk a tackle then Lucas Romero may well be your man.

Pavel Savitskiy (Neman Grodno)

Neman Grodno’s Pavel Savitskiy is a player well worth picking up in Football Manager 2015, a winger whose contract is due to expire at the end of 2014 and who is therefore available on a pre-contract right from the start of the game. Belarusian winger Pavel Savitskiy may seem a strange choice for inclusion in this list for some, he’s a potential wonderkid available completely for free though and this isn’t something that you very often come across in Football Manager, not right from the start of the game, anyway. As soon as you load up FM15, offer this young player a contract and if he does decide to join your club then you’ll have yourself a free wonderkid who isn’t even hugely demanding in the wages department either; low cost, low risk, potentially incredibly high reward.

Raheem Sterling (Liverpool)

Probably one of the best young talents in English football right now, Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling is most definitely a player well worth taking a look at in Football Manager 2015. Having only just recently turned 20, Sterling is already an absolutely huge talent in reality and is also well worth a punt in the game as well. Playing as an attacking midfielder/winger, Raheem Sterling is a nice versatile attacking player to have at your disposal that has excelled in the last few years whilst playing for Liverpool and England. Having originally been brought through the QPR youth academy, Sterling has gone from strength to strength since signing for Liverpool and turning professional, and if you’re managing a club with a fairly hefty budget in Football Manager 2015 then it’s definitely worth trying to sign him up.

Youri Tielemans (Anderlecht)

At just 17 years old, Youri Tielemans is a young player causing quite a stir in reality due to the impact that he’s able to have upon a game at such a young age. Tielemans emerged from the Anderlecht youth academy in 2013, making his Champions League début at the age of 16 and looking a very strong player in the Belgian Pro League throughout the 2013-14 season. Tielemans is a very highly regarded player in reality, a player that looks the part right now, let alone being a fantastic prospect for the future. Tielemans is a player that you should 100% make it your mission to sign in Football Manager 2015; the young Belgian central midfielder will no doubt go far in the future as he continues to make a success of himself in reality, and in FM15 it’s very likely that if you do decide to sign him up within the game then he’ll go on to become one of the very best central midfielders within the game.

Top 10 FM15 Wonderkid Strikers

Paco Alcácer (Valencia)

Although 20 years old at the start of Football Manager 2015, Paco Alcácer turned 21 in August 2014 and is therefore one of the older players featured here. As Alcácer is already 21 years old, this therefore means that he’s already more or less the finished article and would therefore be a solid investment if you need a striker that can fit snugly into the first team squad right from the start of the game. Alcácer definitely isn’t blessed with the greatest of pace, he’s incredibly brave and his finishing is excellent, however, and with excellent heading and penalty taking attributes as well, Paco Alcácer would definitely be a very solid striker to have at your disposal in Football Manager 2015.

Gabriel Barbosa (Santos)

Seen in Brazil as somewhat of a new Neymar, Gabriel Barbosa is a young Brazilian striker that should certainly pique your interest in Football Manager 2015. Wanted in reality by some of the top clubs in the world, Gabriel Barbosa is blessed with a great amount of pace and ability, and at just 17 years old at the start of the game he therefore has plenty of development still to come which should see him develop into an absolute superstar of a player. Gabriel Barbosa will not be cheap in Football Manager 2015, if you’re managing a club with a pretty hefty budget though then it’s definitely worth taking a look at this young Brazilian as he has the potential to become one of the very best forwards in world football.

Carlos Fernández (Sevilla)

Much like Paco Alcácer, Sevilla’s Carlos Fernández is another young Spanish striker that may not have a huge amount of pace, yet certainly has very good ability in the finishing department. He has very good jumping reach and heading ability, and as he’s only 18 years old he therefore has plenty of development to come in the future as well. Carlos Fernández is quite similar in many ways to Paco Alcácer, so if you’re looking for a player like Alcácer but don’t mind waiting a few years for them to develop, Carlos Fernández may be a good player to consider as a cheaper option to the more complete Alcácer.

Carlos Fierro (Chivas)

Carlos Fierro first shot to prominence in Football Manager 2012 as one of the very best strikers that the game had to offer, fast forward to FM15 and the young striker is still going strong as one of the very best young wonderkids in the game. Fierro seems to have been kicking around for a very long time now, he’s still only 20 years old though and is still playing for Chivas out in Mexico; Fierro is an absolutely fantastic player to sign up in Football Manager 2015, he won’t blow your entire budget yet he might just become one of the very best players that your club has to offer. Fierro should be a pretty affordable target for most clubs and if you can sign this young Mexican up then I definitely highly recommend doing so.

Luka Jovic (Red Star)

Luka Jovic can perhaps be seen as this year’s Richairo Zivkovic; he’s only on a youth contract at Red Star and can therefore be snapped up for a very small fee, making him one of the best bargains that Football Manager 2015 has to offer. Zivkovic signed for Ajax in the summer and is therefore not the cheap wonderkid option that he once was, Jovic is certainly a player well worth taking a look at for a cheap punt at a potential future world beater though, a 16 year old striker that is incredibly well rounded and should improve massively in the future.

Munir (Barcelona)

Seen by some as the next Messi, Munir is a young attacker with a great amount of technical ability that should see him go on to have an absolutely fantastic career in football. Munir really does have a huge amount of potential for the future, and having already progressed his way up to the Spanish national team, the future certainly looks to be incredibly bright for Munir. Definitely take a look at Barcelona’s Munir in Football Manager 2015, it may not be particularly easy to persuade Barcelona to part company with this promising young player, if you can convince them to do so though then it’s definitely well worth doing.

Divock Origi (Liverpool)

Liverpool’s Divock Origi was a relative unknown before heading to the World Cup with Belgium in the summer, he’s certainly made a name for himself now, however, earning himself a transfer to Liverpool in the summer from Lille and continuing to establish himself as a Belgian international. Manchester United’s Adnan Januzaj was meant to be the star of the show with Belgium at the World Cup, in truth no one really stepped up massively for the nation though, but Divock Origi nonetheless managed to turn a few heads by scoring in the tournament and showing signs that he may well be be a player to watch out for in the future. Definitely take a look at Divock Origi in Football Manager 2015, he starts out on loan at Lille and you therefore won’t be able to snap him up right from the start, keep an eye on him and watch how he develops though and you may just be able to steal him away from Liverpool at some stage in the future.

Timo Werner (Stuttgart)

With superb finishing and a great amount of speed, Stuttgart’s Timo Werner was one of the stand out youth strikers in Football Manager 2014, and once again looks like a fantastic player to sign in Football Manager 2015. Werner has a fantastic youth record with Germany, scoring well at all levels from the Under-15s right through to the Under-19s. Werner seems to be progressing well in reality and if you can sign him up in FM15 then you should have yourself a real talent on your hands for the future.

James Wilson (Manchester United)

Young James Wilson looks to be one of the brightest prospects in English football right now, a young striker with a huge amount of pace and ability that surely has a huge career ahead of him in football. James Wilson was given a chance at the end of the 2013-14 season with Manchester United, scoring two goals on his full league début as he announced himself to the world in fantastic style. Wilson continues to be given opportunities to impress in the 2014-15 season under the management of Louis van Gaal at Old Trafford, with the experienced Dutch manager clearly seeing something in the young striker that he likes a lot. Wilson was a real prospect in FM14 towards the end of the game and once again looks to be a player well worth signing up in Football Manager 2015.

Richairo Zivkovic (Ajax)

Richairo Zivkovic was a real prospect of a player in Football Manager 2014, a cheap striker that would potentially go on to become an absolute world beater of a player. In FM15 Zivkovic is once again a striker well worth picking up, he joined Ajax in the summer, however, and is therefore not the absolute bargain of a forward that he once was. If you want to pick Zivkovic up in Football Manager 2015 then you’re probably going to have to wait a while due to the fact that he has only just recently transferred to Ajax, if you do manage to snap him up then he’ll no doubt be a very impressive signing for you though and in real-life too he is definitely a player well worth watching out for in the future.